Night Jewel
by StormDancer
Summary: She is the dark jewel of the night, and I have always had a weakness for jewels. RedxRae
1. Prologue

Disclaimer- I don't own the TT

* * *

Night Jewel 

Story By StormDancer

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake

* * *

It's easy to overlook her. When I first met them, I was blinded by Starfire's blatant beauty, her vivacity, her naïve charm. I never noticed the shadow which watched and guarded, suspicious where Starfire was trusting. I had no eyes for the quiet, disillusioned girl who glared at me from underneath her hood. 

As I fought them more, it was still hard to notice her. She fought from the dark, same as me, and disappeared once the fight was done. Her quiet is overshadowed by her teammate's noise: she does not draw attention, but shuns it. Her greatest strength is in her being underestimated, her power as dark as the shadows which consume us both.

She is the dark opal to Starfire's brilliant emerald, dark and shadowed, but beautiful nonetheless; not reflecting the light but burning in her heart with a internal fire, all her own. She is jagged obsidian, forged in the fires of the earth but cool now, though ready to be warmed by the right hand. She is the dark jewel of the night, and I have always had a weakness for jewels.

* * *

tbc?... 


	2. 1

Disclaimer- I don't own TT.

* * *

Night Jewel 

Story by StormDancer

Chapter 1

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

Block. Kick. Jump. Duck the energy blast. 

That was all he thought, when he was fighting. He usually wasn't even aware of who, or what he was avoiding or attacking, as long as it was the opponent. His whole mind wasn't necessary, so it was on other things, his body fighting by pure reflex. The witty repartee, so much better than bird-boy's,were a main concern. The flirting with Starfire usually was as well, as it was always amusing and having the added bonus of pissing off Robin, which he enjoyed. Not today, though. His mind was on something else.

But enough was enough, and he decided it was time to go. He teleported away from the Titans just as Robin's punch was about to land. He laughed from a few rooftops away at Robin's impotent rage. Grinning beneath the mask, he turned to leave. As he did so, he froze as black energy coiled around him, seeping almost sensually into his suit and leaving him immobile. It dragged him to the wall, where it made chains to keep him there, tight, but not painfully so.

"I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff, Jewel," he mocked, "It's kind of kinky for a heroine, don't you think?"

Raven didn't blush as she stepped out of the shadows which had hid her own teleport. Her face expressionless and voice cold, she responded.

"Sorry, wrong girl. Starfire's the one you flirt with and make sexual innuendoes towards, that she doesn't get but, by the way, I do. Not me."

"Aw, Jewel, jealous she's getting all the attention?" Red X mocked.

She rolled her dark eyes, eyes shining slightly beneath her cloak.

"You're right," she said sarcastically, "Because I adore being noticed so much. I don't know what I would do without some sleazy criminal hitting on me."

"Don't worry Jewel, yo can have your admirers too," he said, obviously smirking beneath his mask, "I'm sure you're pretty beneath your layers, if you would only step into the light."

Raven laughed mirthlessly, as she always did.

"You're telling me to 'step into the light'?"she asked incredulously, "You, whose work is by definition completely in the dark?"

"Well, who knows better than one who is there with you?"

"But you mistake one thing," Raven continued, ignoring him, 'You sound like I want someone to love me. I don't. I don't want anyone, I don't need anyone, and I certainly can't get anyone!"

"Oh, but you're wrong," he stated blandly. She raised her eyebrows skeptically. The oddly faceless mask made it hard to read his intentions, but he sounded sincere.

"How?" she asked.

"Jewel, You both want a guy and you could get one, if you even half-way tried."

"Right," she scoffed, "Like any guy would like a girl who's depressed, and can't show emotion, and isn't nearly as pretty as St- most other girl's."

'You are pretty," he blurted out, uncalculating for once, "In your own way, you're as beautiful as Starfire."

"Sure. I'm tiny, and dark, and pale, and have weird eyes and hair. Of course I'm pretty."

"Don't give me that,"he scoffed, "Jewel, you know you could get yourself a nice little super-hero boyfriend. Speedy, or Hotspot, or even Cyborg or Beast Boy, for instance."

"Who says i want a super-hero? she asked calmly, but with a hint of desperation behind the dead pan, "Who says I want a guy who'll always put me 2nd? Who'll never be able to love me for fear of it being a weakness? Starfire may be able to put up with Robin, but I could never tolerate a hero. Heros are so good, they make terrible boyfriends."

"So you do want one, and could get one," he observed.

"Sure, guys are easy to get, especially heros. Flash 'em a smile and some distraction, and they'll come panting," she admitted. She looked at him quizzically, "Why am I telling you this? I'm probably giving you all sorts of information to use against me."

"Well, Jewel," he told her, "it's because I'm the only one who'll listen, and understand. You aren't cold, like everyone says. Your just so fiery, it seems icy. All that's needed is the right guy to set you aflame."

He noticed her team coming up behind her. Squeezing his fist, he activated the teleportation trigger in his suit. Her energy dissolved with nothing to hold it, but he wasn't gone.

Raven felt a gloved hand caress her cheek softly.

"You are beautiful, Jewel," he murmured gently, "Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

He was gone before she could react. Raven stared after him, amazed at his parting words.

Robin came panting up behind her, closely followed by the rest of the team.

"Where's X? Did you get him?" he demanded.

'"I... saw him," raven responded, still staring at the spot where Red X had been bound, "But he escaped."

"Damn!" Robin yelled, "We were so damn close!"

"Not really," Cyborg observed, "he just decided to retreat a bit earlier than usual."

"What did he steal this time," Raven inquired abruptly, turning to face the rest of the Titans.

"That's the odd thing," Robin admitted, "He didn't actually take anything."

"So why were we fighting him?" Raven demanded.

"He's a criminal!" Beast Boy said, "That's what we do, fight criminals."

"We don't have anything on him, after he last got out of jail," Raven declared, "we just technically assaulted a civilian."

"But he would have taken something!" Robin protested, "We all know that! He's evil, Raven, and so we have to take him down."

'You're so naive sometimes,"she spat icily, "The world isn't black or white, Robin. Fire can give off light in the dark, Things aren't always yea or nay. He is a criminal, but he might change his spots. Criminal isn't evil. You can't go around attacking random people. Or have you forgotten your own numerous stints on the other side of justice?"

Robin winced. Raven simply turned and took off into the night, invisible except for the occasional glint of one of her jewels. Robin faced the rest of the team, meeting their questioning gaze with a shrug.

"what'd I do?" he asked helplessly.

"I dunno," Beast Boy answered, "But did you get what she was saying?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Robin responded, "I just don't get what set her off."

Starfire was gazing from Raven's disappearing figure to the spot where she had spotted Red X, bound.

"I am afraid," she said sadly, "I do."

She would say no more, for all the guy's teasing.

o0O0o0O0o

Raven stalked into her room, angrily throwing her cloak onto the floor. As she turned to throw herself onto the bed, a unusual glint caught her eye. Atop the table, a necklace sat. She picked it up cautiously, revealing a dark opal necklace and a note.

_For another Jewel of the night, here is your fire in the darkness. P.S. I didn't know you cared so much. Thanks for the defense._

Raven read the note, than slowly put the necklace around her neck, where it sat, contrasting beautifully against her pale skin. She smiled, then began to meditate.

Outside her window, Red X smiled as well.


	3. 2

Disclaimer-I don't own the Teen Titans. grr.

Night Jewel

StoryBy StormDancer

Chapter 2

"It is not light that we need, but the fire, it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake."

Raven rubbed her opal necklace nervously as she sat in the T-car along with Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. The alarm which had gone off this evening had a ring of urgency to it that only she could feel. The others thought it was just a routine Slade attack, one of his drones robbing a warehouse at the waterside. It seemed a bit too easy to her, a robbery in broad daylight. But no one would listen to her.

Cyborg had told her to stop fretting, it would be okay. This would have been a good answer if nothing was at stake. Starfire didn't quite comprehend Raven's worries. Beast Boy told Raven she worried too much, that she should lighten up. And Robin dismissed her concerns as paranoia. A claim that had almost made Raven laugh. Robin calling her paranoid, about Slade? But he had been chilly with her ever since that night on the rooftop with X. She supposed she should apologize, but he needed the rebuke. All her team did.

The car stopped, and the Titans jumped out of it as the R-cycle came pulling up beside it. The Slade-bot was surveying them coldly as it stepped out of the building.

"Titans." It stated coldly, less a greeting or an acknowledgement than a threat.

"Give it up, Slade," Robin spat. Raven rolled her eyes, though no one could see it beneath her hood. Like Slade would surrender because of some trash talk. The robot seemed to agree. It didn't answer.

"Teen Titans, Go!" Robin yelled. Raven rose into the air as the other 4 charged the robot. The robot was oddly reluctant to attack, however. It retreated beneath Robin's furious flurry of blows. She rubbed the necklace as she watched the one-sided fight. Something wasn't right here. And Robin's obsession blinded him to it.

A glint caught her eye. The bridge was only 100 yards away, spanning magnificently across the river. She glanced back at the fight, which the robot was still fighting defensively, but the bridge claimed her attention once more. She studied it, frowning slightly. What was out of place? Slade was up to something, that much she was sure of, and instinct told her it had to do with the bridge, teeming with rush hour traffic.

"Raven! A little help would be nice!" Beast Boy yelled. She ignored him, still peering at the bridge.

A flash of light at the base of one of the supports. Acting on instinct alone, Raven melted back into the shadows and teleported to the base of the bridge. In the distance, she could see the robot step back and say something to the Titans. The heroes turned on horror towards the bridge, but Raven had already heard the ticking noise. She had just enough time to shield herself when the bomb went off, completely destroying the support. The bridge began to collapse, the groaning metal in chorus with the screams of the people trapped.

Magic encased it, bringing it back to its normal height as Raven rose with it, guiding its progress as people frantically rushed off the bridge, panic emanating from the people in ways just calculated to break her concentration.

The other Titans began to help the civilians off the bridge. Raven's head began to ache with the effort. The bridge was much heavier than most things she could levitate, and her power was not limitless. Her vision wavered in and out, flickering as her the bridge began to sag, her power's abilities lessening as she did. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a car sliding off the bridge, a child trapped screaming inside.

o0O0o0O0o

Raven fell just as the bridge collapsed in earnest. The other Titans, preoccupied with their struggle to save the civilians, didn't notice the flash of light around her that marked one of the Red-X suit's teleportation, nor did they notice that she never hit the ground.

o0O0o0O0o

Raven's eyes fluttered open. A room was flickering quickly in and out of focus, so confusing that she hurriedly closed her eyes again. She was on a bed, she noticed, taking in her surrounding with alternative senses. It wasn't her bed, though. It was harder, and with linen sheets instead of silk. They didn't smell of herbs, like hers did. None of the rooms in the Tower smelled like this, though, a clean, male scent. The boys were all too messy. The air was wrong as well, fresher, less sterile. A wind played over her face. The windows in the Tower were never open. _'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore,'_ she thought resignedly.

She drew a calming breath. Raven was not in the Tower, but that didn't necessarily mean she was in danger. If no one was in the room with her, she could teleport out with no one being the wiser. Not everyone knew she could teleport. She extended her empathetic sensitivity out of her center to encompass the whole room, only to meet a metaphysical second skin around her own. She battered mentally against the shield, but it was impermeable.

"It won't work."

Red-X's voice was the first sign she had had that he was near her. She abandoned the pretense of being asleep.

"What won't?"

"Your powers. They're blocked."

Raven sat up, noticing that her cloak, shoes and jewelry had been removed as she slept, except for a pair of new bracelets, iron set with obsidian spheres with a electronic lock on the underside, one on each arm. They were draped over an armchair. Next to the, Red-X was relaxed on a straight-backed chair, backwards with his chin resting on the backrest.

"Oh? And why might that be?" Raven drawled. He motioned towards the bracelets.

"Because your powers need rest, and if you can't use them you won't try," he answered the unasked question.

Raven raised an eyebrow. He was right, but it was odd that he would have taken the trouble to find out.

"And I couldn't restrain myself at home?"

"No."

Raven looked at him skeptically. She knew intuitively he was meeting her eyes from underneath the mask, even if she couldn't see his eyes. She stared hard at him, and the mask shifted nearly imperceptibly as he grinned.

"There were 3-odd alerts in the tower while you were out," he informed her, "All of them would have wakened you."

At her involuntarily, horrified look, he nodded reassuringly.

"Minor only. They handled each one in about 10 minutes, max. But you would have gone, and used your powers, and overextended yourself. By keeping you here, you have an excuse not to go."

"So all your concern was for me?" Raven asked unbelievingly, hiding her dismay at his easy information at what went on inside the tower, as well as how well he knew her.

"A cracked jewel never shines as brightly once mended," he retorted, "I'm doing a service to mankind, keeping your beauty on the streets where people can appreciate it. I can't imagine your father's demons having an appreciation for beauty."

Raven started slightly, amazed at his knowledge of her past. Recovering her poise, she rolled her eyes.

"Cut the crap, X. What do you really want? To see if you could steal a Titan?"

"even if you are the most valuable Jewel I've ever stolen," he said, and Raven was sure he was smirking, "My motives are as I said. Take it or leave it."

She still looked skeptically.

"What, you don't believe me?" He asked in mock pain, 'That cuts, Jewel, really hurts."

"I'm sure," she stated ironically.

"Why don't you trust me?" he asked, in earnest this time.

"Oh, I don't know," she counted off her points on her fingers, "You're on the other side of the law. You usually flirt with Starfire, than all of a sudden you turn around and start flirting with me, and being sort of swe-," she cut off herself, "You don't show your face. You've kidnapped me, even if you can justify it. Need me to continue?"

"Flirting with Starfire is fun because it pisses me off Robin, not because I like her. She's annoying. I don't show my face because you'd arrest me otherwise, and _I _don't trust _you_ with that temptation. And we're discussing the alleged abduction, so you can't use it as an argument."

"I just did."

"As a valid argument," he amended, "Anyway, you know I did you a favor."

"Perhaps," Raven admitted grudgingly. He knew her far too well for comfort. "But you never denied first claim."

"That I'm against the law?" he shrugged, "That's because I can't. But am I a bad guy?"

"You steal for a living," Raven pointed out dryly.

"Look around," X gestured abruptly to the room. "This is y home. Does it look like a rich thieves den?"

Raven scanned the room. As he said, it didn't look like a lair. While uncharacteristically tidy for a lone male, something Raven knew from the experience of having 3 male roommates, it was all lower middle class furnishings. Nothing to show all the money he had.

"Hoarding?" she suggested.

"Hardly," he spat. He stalked over to her and helped her to her feet, surprisingly gentle despite his unsympathetic tone. She pulled away from him, but swayed on her feet as soon as he let go. He steadied her, despite her attempts to prevent him. He brought her to the window.

"See what it's like out there?" he asked harshly. The view was of a lower class neighborhood, one of dark alleys and shady dealings in the setting sun. "That's not even the worst of it. There are places out there where people can't go outside without a gun. Where people steal their neighbor's food and starve anyway. Places where the best you can hope to be is alive."

"I know," Raven said sadly, "But there's nothing one person can do about it. No one person can solve poverty, or world hunger. Or at least no more than I can."

"What a remarkably cynical philosophy for a hero," he remarked blandly.

"I do what I can, and no more," Raven shrugged, "What does this have to do with your point?"

"That, Jewel, is where my money goes," he said, gesturing out the window, "To keeping some people out there alive for just one more day. So they don't have to steal to live, and inevitably get caught, leaving their families to starve. I may be on the opposite side of the law, but so was Batman when he started out."

"You're a thief." Raven stated in a monotone, staring expressionless out the window.

"Has anyone ever gotten hurt because of me?" he asked defensively, "Has anything happened that you guys couldn't set right? Or if that happened, didn't I help?"

"No," Raven admitted ungraciously.

"Well, there you have it," he said, suddenly turning more cheerful, "I'm not demeaning what you do. That's necessary too. I'll save lies my way, and you can yours."

"At least you can," Raven said quietly. X looked at her; head tilted in what she assumed must be a quizzical look. "People died, on the bridge. I saw them. Just because I wasn't strong enough. I killed them, X. It's all my fault!"

A tear leaked down her cheek, followed by another, and another.

"It's not your fault!" X exclaimed gently, but with horror in his quiet voice, 'It's Slade's. You saved so many lives today, Jewel. The casualties would have skyrocketed if you hadn't been there."

The tears ran faster down her cheeks. A sob escaped her.

"But it wasn't enough!" she yelled. Her eyes flashed grey, than she collapsed in a faint. Red-X caught her before she had fallen an inch. He carried her bridal style back to the bed.

"Jewel?" he murmured anxiously, sitting beside her on the bed and leaning anxiously over her. "Jewel, are you alright?"

She blinked, than sat up, raising an eyebrow at his seat. He stood quickly.

"I'm fine," she told him reassuringly, "My powers knocked me out because they couldn't go anywhere else."

"Oh." he looked disappointedly at the bracelets. "Well, they were a good idea."

He moved to unlock them for her, but she yanked them away.

"They work fine," she snapped, "At least I didn't hurt anyone else."

She shrugged at his dubious look.

"They're the best I've seen so far. Now, thanks for all this, you were right. I needed it, but it's time for me to go home."

He nodded; mask hiding his sting at being so quickly dismissed. He tossed her her stuff, which she put on. Raven walked shakily to the door, but he was in front of her, appearing as if by magic.

"You'll understand of course, if I teleport you out of here."

"Of course."

X grabbed her by the waist before she could protest and quickly teleported to the mainland across for the Tower.

"Here you go," he said.

"Now comes the hard part," she groaned resignedly.

"What?"

"Explaining to Robin where I've been."

"Afraid, Jewel?" X drawled.

"No, annoyed. It'll take me forever without a good excuse."

"Tellhi the truth," he suggested, " I abducted you and you escaped."

"Without my powers?" Raven retorted skeptically.

"You threatened e with a knife."

"I don't have a knife."

"Easily remedied."

Something flashed in the air between them. She caught it reflexively. It was a knife, obsidian blade honed to a wicked sharpness. She rubbed the opal set in the pommel of the jet hilt.

"That'll do," she said, "Thanks."

"Anything for you," he replied flirtatiously. She rolled her eyes.

"For this and the necklace," she continued. He didn't respond, but began to jog away.

"Hey X!" she yelled. He stopped. "How do I get these things off?" she motioned to the bracelets.

"A password."

"Which is?"

"What do you think?" Maybe the shields were malfunctioning, because somehow she knew that beneath the mask he winked at her. "Jewel."

**Author's note-Sorry it's so long, but i couldn't find a good breaking point. So enjoy, but don't expect it to be so long all the time.**


	4. 3

Diclaimer-i don't own the teen Titans.

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 3

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

"I told you," Raven said with exaggerated patience, "He must have kidnapped me when I fainted. I woke up in some room, unconscious."

"Are you sure?" Robin persisted, "Because the how did you escape without your powers? And don't give me the threat thing, because his hand to hand combat is better than yours."

"He didn't expect me to recover so quickly," Raven quickly lied, "I got him by surprise."

Robin didn't look satisfied by this explanation, and frankly, neither was Raven. It had far too many holes, like why she had been kidnapped in the first place and how she had gotten back. But hopefully Robin's tendency to overlook details in his pursuit of the main objective would work here.

"Then how'd you get out, without him chasing you?"

"I got him to give me the password to the power blockers, and then I teleported."

"But you flew in!"

"Robin!" Starfire cut in, "Friend Raven has just had a great ordeal! Do not interrogate her now! There will be time for that later."

When Starfire took any authority, Robin usually listened. This time was no exception.

"Fine," he ordered grudgingly, "Raven, go get some rest."

She stalked up the stairs, cloak trailing with great dignity.

"You might stop trying to shovel Raven," Starfire accused the boy as soon as raven was out of the room.

"Drill," robin corrected absently, "And why not? We need information on X."

"But this criminal is giving her a hard time. We do not want to make it harder."

:Fine, fine," robin acquiesced, "But how do you know that?"

Starfire smiled enigmatically.

"I have my ways."

She floated out of the room, following the same route as the other girl had taken a few minutes earlier. Robin turned to Cyborg and Beast Boy, who had been standing without a word.

"Why does it seem like they both know more than us?" he complained.

Beast Boy shrugged dismissively, "Dude, if I could read women's minds I sure as hell wouldn't be talking to you right now."

o0O0o0O0o

Raven stared at the knife planted on her desk. Its blade shimmered darkly in the faint light. She wondered if X really knew what he was giving her. Could he know what obsidian was to her demonic heritage? Or was it just another flirtatious gesture? Damn the man for being so confusing.

She rubbed her necklace idly, than stopped when she realized what she was doing. Who did this-not villain, he had proved that to her this afternoon, but now she didn't have a good title for him-think he was doing! Giving her gifts, throwing her equilibrium off by making her have to re-categorize him, by being sweet one minute and harsh the next in a way just calculated to fascinate her. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought him actually interested in her, but that was impossible. Guys fell for Starfire, not her, and he was the same, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

A knock on the door interrupted her angry musings.

"Friend Raven?" Starfire asked, "May I come in?"

Ever since the puppet king incident, Starfire had been one of the few people allowed into Raven's sanctuary occasionally, even if only with expressed permission. The girls were best friends, despite their differences, and being two females to 3 guys strengthened their bond.

"Yes." Raven stated, not annoyed at being interrupted from her unhappy thoughts. Starfire slipped into the room and sat comfortably on the air in the middle of the room.

"Do you wish to tell me the real reason Red-X took you?" the alien asked easily.

"I told robin."

"No, you did not. You told him what he wanted to hear. Did you partake in the courtship rituals?"

"What!"

"Did he give you more gifts? The necklace is truly beautiful." Starfire continued earnestly.

"How did you know that was him?" Raven asked, amazed.

"Please," Starfire scoffed, "I may be an alien, but I am still a female. The boys may be less than a clue, but I can see what is directly before me."

"There is nothing between us," Raven stated, "He is on the other side of the law."

"That obviously does not matter to him," Starfire observed, "As he takes the time to talk to you instead of running."

"But it matters to me! He's probably just out to seduce and use me."

"But if that was his intent," Starfire observed shrewdly, "Would I not be a more logical choice?"

Raven looked incredulously at her. Starfire smiled resignedly.

"I know how I am seen, friend Raven. I am said to be naïve and foolish, though beautiful. I have learned to use that, first on Tamaran, and now here. My beauty is a double edged sword, but in this case seducing me would be the logical thing to do. It would be thought that I would be easily taken in. You are seen as intelligent and suspicious. It would be seen as much harder to convince you."

"Everyone knows about the Malchior debacle," Raven retorted, "He could assume that I would be as ready to trust the next person to call me beautiful. You wouldn't fall in that trap so easily; you get it all the time."

"Did he do anything to you when he took you?" Starfire asked, trying another tack.

"No, we just talked," raven admitted.

"If he was trying to make you in love with him, would he have perhaps been more forward?" Starfire prompted.

"I guess," Raven acknowledged, "but why else would he be acting like this? Enemies don't fall for the dark, scary girl. They fall for the beauties."

"Stop comparing yourself with me!" Starfire ordered, "We are different. Beauty comes in many shapes and sizes. Your Red-X has discovered this. I am nothing to be envied. I have often been jealous of you."

"Why?" Raven asked in amazement.

"People accept your intelligence. They dismiss mine, thinking I am only beautiful Why do you believe I love Friend robin so? He believes me more than just beautiful. You do not have this problem. You have no reason to envy me."

"I guess not," raven responded slowly, "Thanks, Star."

"It is my pleasure!" Starfire squealed. She rose to leave. At the doorway, she turned.

"May I make a suggestion?" she asked.

"Sure," Raven shrugged.

"Set the terms. Don't let him be the one always dominating."

"How do you know all this?" Raven asked, amazed at the aliens apparent expertise. Starfire laughed.

"In these matters, I am nowhere as… inexperienced as everyone thinks!" She winked meaningfully, than the door closed behind her.

'Go to him…' raven considered it slightly. But that would be declaring them in a… something. Maybe not a relationship, but there was definitely something there. She picked up the knife, twirling it between her fingers. Maybe, eventually, she would set terms for this thing with X. But for right now, she was pleased to reap the benefits. And he hadn't said anything about commitment, had he?

Decisively, she threw the knife directly into the sad mask's eye.


	5. 4

Disclaimer-I dont own the TT

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 4

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

"He didn't kidnap you," Robin stated blandly. Raven executed one of her killer glares, but he didn't flinch. He was secure in his surety.

"What do you mean," she snapped, "Of course he did."

"Then why'd he take you back to the mainland?"

Raven froze in the act of stalking away.

"I don't know," she said slowly, but with a hint of a threat, "Why would he?"

"That's for you to know. You were with him, sure, but it was voluntary. He let you leave, for some reason."

Robin was thinking out loud now, so absorbed in his musings to notice Raven's eyes flash red.

"But you covered for him. There was no reason for you to do that. Do you like him, Raven? Did he seduce you?"

Raven's cloak had spread, fluttering in an unseen wind, the invisible breeze growing stronger with every word of Robin's. At his last comment, the wind whipped into a gale. Objects began to whirl in a tornado, centered on the dark girl. Her eyes glowed black, but with an ember centered in the middle. The only thing in the room that was not flung into the air was a knife on the girl's belt. Its obsidian glinted calmly, not effected by the half-demon's magic. Robin backed up cautiously, trying to flee the maelstrom before it sucked him in. The outer edge of the black walls was about to touch him when a alarm blared, jolting Raven out of her rage.

"Later," she spat, before turning to the screen, the furniture settling back into its old place, none the worse for its sudden flight.

Beast Boy came rushing into the main room, oblivious to the tension between the tow birds.

"Who is it?" he asked anxiously.

"Cinderblock," Robin announced as the other Titans came into the room, "Breaking into the warehouse downtown."

"Let's go," Raven stated, her monotone as tight as it had ever been. Starfire looked suspiciously at Raven, than at Robin. Her inquiring look made the boy wonder hold up his hands innocently.

"I did nothing," he muttered to the alien as the others left the room, "I swear."

"Of course you did not," Starfire said with a fond smile and a peck on the cheek. She walked out of the room. Robin followed, wondering if Starfire knew about double negatives.

o0O0o0O0o

"So, want to share what's up with Red-X?" Robin prompted as soon a s Cinderblock hit the ground.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "Dude, secrets aren't cool!"

"There is nothing," raven stated sharply.

"I saw what happened on the mainland. He let you go."

Raven noticed the loophole in his words and took advantage of it.

'You were spying!" She said slowly, dangerously.

"It's not spying," Robin retorted defensively, "It's surveillance."

"That's private property. It is spying, and it's illegal."

"You're a fine one to talk," robin spat, "Consorting with villains and the like."

Starfire put a calming hand on her friend's shoulder and glared at Robin. The boy ignored the girls' fierce looks.

"At least I took my not exactly honest stints honestly."

Beast Boy began to interrupt, but Cyborg hit him to quiet him. Robin continued.

"I didn't do it as a hero. I was a villain then. I didn't compromise my heroic identity. I didn't do it just to get in with a thieving lying, selfish creep!"

Even as he said his last words, everyone, including him, knew he had gone too far. Raven shook off Starfire's hand, eyes imitating the glint of the opal at her neck.

"Don't talk about what you don't know," she enunciated slowly, rage dripping from every syllable, "That man is more of a hero than you ever were, boy."

She disappeared into the shadows. Cyborg gave Robin a look that promised him a long and painful death before following her. Starfire looked after the disappearing teammates.

"Nice move, Dude," Beast Boy admonished.

"What'd I do?" Robin moaned.

"Nothing extraordinary."

As the three Titans spun to face the synthesized voice, Red X emerged from the sheltering shadows.

"Just completely misjudged the situation," the masked man continued.

"I did not!" Robin responded petulantly.

"Robin, hear him out," Starfire suggested gently. The boy pouted slightly. He was sure X was smirking. The other man continued.

"If there really was something between Raven and I, you yelling would only make her push harder the other way. Towards me."

"So there is something between you two!" Robin crowed, "I knew it! She tried to deny it! I never thought she'd be slut enough-"

He never finished his statement. His last words were lost as he was slammed against the wall, Red X's hands around his neck.

"Do not insult her like that." The other man spat, his voice deadly serious, "Never say that again."

Robin had frozen. Angrily, he looked at his teammates, but they were too horrified at what he had said. He looked up into Red X's eyes, cold and hard beneath the mask.

"I didn't mean it," he muttered. The hand released its pressure, and Robin dropped back to the ground.

"You're right, you didn't. Because if you had, you would be dead." No one doubted X's sincerity.

"Please," Starfire interrupted, "Are you trying to seduce raven?"

"Define seduce." The man's voice was laughing now, its seriousness lost.

"Are you trying to make her love you?"

"If I was, would I tell you?"

"Yes," the beautiful alien purred seductively, "I think you will."

She watched him carefully. This was a test more than anything else, to see if he'd respond to the girl he had flirted with for much longer than Raven.

"Sorry, kid," he laughed, "You missed your chance."

Starfire relaxed, then grinned.

"You passed," she informed him.

"Thanks," he replied with a mock bow. He straightened and his voice hardened as he looked at Robin.

"And you will leave Raven alone," he stated, "You can try to fight anything I do, to counter it in any way. But you won't badmouth her. Am I understood?"

"Why are you doing this?" Robin spat, but he had lost. He knew it, X knew it, everyone knew it.

"Just looking out for number one," the thief retorted before melting back into his shadows.

"How does being defensive of Raven help him?" Robin asked the air into the silence that Red X's departure had incurred. He expected Starfire to answer him, but she stayed silent. It was Beast Boy, who had stayed silent throughout the whole encounter, who finally spoke up.

"He's not number one anymore," the boy informed Robin resignedly, "Rae is."

o0O0o0O0o

"Raven?"

The girl stopped at the sound of Cyborg's panting yell.

"What?" she snapped, but her heart wasn't in it.

"Can we talk?" he asked, coming to a halt beneath her. She floated down to the ground to lean against the wall next to him, eyes glinting in the scanty light in the alley. He glanced nervously around them, at the lower class neighborhood.

"Somewhere more comfortable?" he added. Her lips curled in a slight smile.

"I suppose," she responded, black magic engulfing them. They reappeared on the roof of the tower.

"So?" she prompted, folding herself effortlessly into a cross legged seat. Cyborg dropped down beside her.

"Robin doesn't mean to be so harsh," he told her seriously. She shrugged.

"Still, it doesn't give him the right to rag on me," she retorted.

"No, it doesn't," Cyborg agreed, "but you know he's just trying to look out for you, right?"

Raven sighed.

"I know. But it's like having one of the stereotypical big brothers."

"No kidding," the half robot grinned, "Rob's taken my job."

She looked up at him, face plaintive in the moonlight.

"Are you going to give me a hard time too?" her voice was its usual monotone, but Cyborg fancied he heard a pleading note in it.

"That depends," he admitted, "Do you like X?"

"I don't know."

"Could he make you happy?' the half robot pressed.

She considered a moment.

"I think he could," she confessed hesitatingly, surprised at her own response, "He just might manage it."

Cyborg rose ponderously to his feet.

"Well the," he replied, looking fondly down at his almost sister, "That's all there is to it, isn't it?"

He left before she could ask if that was a yes or no. Her hand moved subconsciously to her opal, rubbing it reflexively.

"Is Beast Boy coming, or can I interrupt the parade?"

Raven attempted to spin to face the voice, but forgot she was seated and fell over. Red X's low chuckle disappeared into the night sky. She rose to her feet with killing dignity.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Well, you talked to Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg within a few hours. Beast Boy should be next."

"Are you spying on me too?" Raven said, her monotone not flickering. Her eyes told a different story, and X read that as it was meant.

"Was Robin?" he spat, "If he's done anything I will-"

'Nothing horrible," Raven cut the irate man off, "He was just videoing private property on the mainland near the tower."

"That's illegal."

"As I pointed out. Were you?"

His voice gentled.

"No, I just happened to notice that in the conversation with your teammates I just had."

Raven raised an eyebrow in calculated curiosity.

"I told Robin to lay off of you."

'Thanks, but I don't need your help," she retorted.

"Well, maybe I like feeling needed."

Raven felt a hint of sincerity wash off of him. She smiled slightly.

"That was good of you," she told him.

"I try. How did you like the knife?"

"It was… nice. You pick gifts well. I always do that bad."

"Badly," he corrected instinctively. A full fledged grin broke out on Raven's face.

"Nice catch." Her monotone was slipping into amusement.

"My pleasure."

He took a step closer to her.

"Anything for you, Jewel. You know that."

He was standing directly in front of her now, so she was looking up into the dark eyes of his mask. Her breath caught as she noticed the way his muscles rolled under the suit.

Set the terms, Starfire had told her. Raven smiled slightly.

"And as much as I appreciate that, X, I must go."

Her hand brushed over his as she opened a portal and disappeared into it. He shivered at that slight touch.

As he turned to leave, he felt a touch on his mind.

"And I forgive you for spying." Raven's voice caressed his mind. Red X jumped to attention, but the girl was nowhere in sight. He grinned beneath his mask.

"She just couldn't make it easy, could she?" he asked the air. The star's glinted back, unknowable, watching.


	6. 5

Disclaimer- I don't won the TT. Tear.

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 5

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

Raven stalked into her room, throwing herself down on her bed. After a long fight with the HIVE, in which Jinx seemed to be especially annoyed at her, she wanted nothing more than a nice long meditation and then reading until bed. Her teammates seemed not to have comprehended the ideas of quiet, until she had been driven out of the common room by the sound barrier about to be broken.

With a groan as sore muscles worked, she rose and wandered over to her bookshelf. Her fingers flicked over the well known books, until they stopped at a space in the packed shelves. A book was missing, and she was pretty sure she knew which one.

"Raven," a sibilant voice hissed from her desk. Steeling herself for the inevitable, she strode over. Malchior's book lay open on the desk, his mock face peering out at her from within the pages. She moved to close the book.

"Darling Raven, you know you will free me," the voice continued silkily, "I am the only one you can ever love, the only one who will ever know your true self. The others cannot. They will never comprehend the darkness within you. Just let me free, and we will rule side by side. I will cleanse you, and you will love me as you deserve to be able to."

Raven was drawn in by his words. Her hand inched toward the book, almost turning the pages to where she could see Malchior's face. The face that had said he loved her.

Pain scored her cheek, jolting her out of Malchior's seductive spell. As one of her hands had succumbed to the drak magic, the other had slashed her face with her knife, bringing her back to herself. She slammed the book shut, breathing heavily as if she had just fought a hard battle. His words, as always, came far to near the mark. She couldn't love. She had to remember that even if her father was banished, he wasn't gone. He never would be.

Suddenly, reading didn't appeal. Grabbing her one vice, a quality set of drawing pencils, and a sketchpad, she disappeared into the portal which opened at her feet.

o0O0o0O0o

Red X watched the girl from inside his concealing shadows. He couldn't see what she was doing from this angle, but she was leaning over something, working very hard. It looked like she was writing.

She glanced up, somehow alerted to someone's presence. She glanced around nervously, biting her lower lip in the barely perceptible sign of anxiousness he had noticed. Not seeing anyone, she turned back to her work.

An owl hooted in the distance. She jumped. He chuckled. She spun and peered around into the darkness.

"Jumpy, Jewel?"

Her eyes finally fixed on him, leaning nonchalantly against a wall.

"X?" she asked tentatively. He was the only one who called her Jewel, but that wasn't his voice. It sounded… normal.

"No, I'm Robin," he drawled.

"I wouldn't put it past him," she retorted as he strode closer to her, "He has spied on me before."

"Well, I think I made it clear to him that he should stop."

Raven raised an eyebrow at this statement, but he didn't deign to satisfy her curiosity.

"Ask him sometime. And make it some time when you really want to get angry at him."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"I'm always annoyed at the resident Boy Blunder," she explained patiently, "So is everyone except Starfire. He does it on purpose, I'm sure."

"That explains far more than it doesn't," X admitted. The girl smiled slightly. She glanced at her paper, than erased something on it. He leaned over her shoulder to look closer, but she grabbed the-it looked like a sketchbook, but he had never heard of Raven drawing- to her chest.

"You don't get to look. No one does, until I'm done."

'What is it?" he asked.

"None of your business."

"Your business is mine, Jewel," he told her, and without the synthesized voice, the intenseness of his voice was much stronger, "As long as I'm alive, I'll be there to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself," she muttered, but the sincerity rolling off of him took the edge out of her voice.

"Perhaps." He sat down next to her and tried to meet her eyes, but she was staring into the distance, so all he could see was the side of her hood. He continued anyway, "But maybe some help would be nice. You can't be everywhere, Jewel. So I'll protect your good name where you aren't. Deal?"

She turned to face him, still shrouded in her cloak's hood.

"Deal." He could hear the amusement as she held out a hand for him to shake. He took it, and gave it a slight squeeze. Her hand lingered in his a moment longer then necessary. He stole a glance at her, but she was working on her drawing again, eyes averted from him.

"What are you drawing?" he teased.

"Something."

"Will I ever get to see it?"

"Maybe," her voice was full of wry amusement, "If you're very good."

"And if I'm not?"

"Well, then, you'll always have to wonder what it's like."

He could have sworn that was said in almost a seductive purr, but she gave no inkling of any such thing.

"What brings you here?" she asked idly, glancing at him, than changing something on the paper.

"Can't I just feel like seeing you, jewel?" He craned slightly so he could almost see the paper.

"I'm not sure," Raven confessed, "Is that why you're doing all this?"

"All what?" he inquired. If she could just admit there was sparks…

"Don't play with me, X," her voice tried to be cold, but there was a hint of something he couldn't quite identify in it, "You're giving me gifts, and voluntarily seeking me out."

"I am," Red X admitted easily, "But am I playing, Jewel?"

"I don't know!" she cried, "Maybe Malchior is right!"

In her moment of distraction, red X reached over and plucked the sketchbook out of her hands. With years of battle honed reflexes, she lunged after it. He jumped up and held it high over his head, only noticing then how much taller he really was than her. She didn't even reach his chin.

He hit the ground hard. As lost as he had been in musing on her, Raven had tackled him. She grabbed the book with a triumphant laugh. No one noticed the fallen sign. She opened her mouth to speak, but a blush stained her too pale cheeks and she fell silent. Only then did he notice that she was straddling him.

"Wow, Jewel, I didn't think you'd be this forward," he mocked. She scowled.

"Well, if you hadn't tried to steal my sketchbook," she muttered, but didn't move.

"I'm a thief. Stealing is what I do," he explained, "And you don't weigh enough o stop me from getting the book back. You know I'm a better fighter than you."

"You wouldn't win."

He moved. In a flash, he had Raven pinned to the ground, his hands pinning hers to the ground.

"Want to bet," he breathed in her ear. She smiled impishly.

"Sure."

She melted into the portal that opened beneath them. He hit the ground again, but smiled slightly beneath his mask.

Raven reappeared on the bench.

"I win," she stated.

"I don't know," he replied, seating himself beside her once again, "These pictures are really good."

"What!" He saw her truly startled for the first time. In answer he held up the sketchbook and paged through it.

"I like this one," he continued as if she hadn't said anything, showing her a picture of him about to punch Robin. A red X gleamed on his glove, about to shoot, "How'd you do it? I never posed."

"Photographic memory," Raven explained, thinking furiously. If he saw some of the later ones…

'who's this?" he queried, showing her a picture of a lean white haired blue eyed man in the beginning of the book.

"That's… Rorek," Raven responded slowly.

"Anyone I should be jealous of?" he asked casually.

"He's been dead for thousands of years," Raven told him slowly, "And I never really knew him anyway."

He coked his head at her. She interpreted this correctly as an inquiring look.

"He was… a character in a book. A book I loved."

"Cool." She could tell X wasn't paying attention. She could only hope that didn't mean he had seen some of the other ones. She had to distract him.

"There's rumors going around," she informed him, "Speedy wished me luck with you. Aqualad told me-"

He glanced up at her.

"You talked to him?"

"Yeah, we're friends. Anyway," raven continued, "he told me, and I quote, 'knew where I was coming form with my choice, but to please reconsider.'"

He chuckled, and Raven couldn't help but smile in return. He had a nice laugh, low and contagious.

"Jewel, any guy who wears a spandex body suit is either far too arrogant or gay," he informed her.

"So which are you?" she inquired dryly.

"Far too arrogant for my own good," he replied with a seductive chuckle. She knew that beneath his mask he was grinning at her. He looked back at the sketchbook.

"What the Hell?" he yelled, jumping up.

"Well, if it has to do with me, I'd guess the 8th,"Raven replied dryly.

"You have me dressed in tights! Green tights!"

Raven let out her breath. It was only that one.

"Well, if what you said about your won breed of heroism is true," she felt waves of indignation rolling off of him, "Then that's stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, right? So I thought Robin Hood was a good precedent."

"I don't do green, especially not light green!" he spat. She smiled lightly to herself. Boys were always so defensive.

"It's forest green," she explained patiently.

"Exactly. It looks like Beast Boy. I'll stick with the city, thank you very much."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"New experiences are broadening, X."

"Well, I'm quite big enough, I assure you," he replied.

"Consider me assured," she responded, eyes quickly flicking over his powerfully built body.

He went back to flipping over her sketchbook. He didn't comment until he reached the last few pages. As he did so, raven lunged for the book again. He held it out of her reach, but in the scuffle her hood came off and the light illuminated her face. He dropped the book.

"What happened?" X asked gently, his hand tracing the slash on her cheek. He could feel her shiver beneath his touch.

"Nothing. An accident."

"With your own knife?"

"What do you-"

Red X held up an obsidian knife, a hint of blood on its blade.

"What really happened, Jewel?" he pressed gently but firmly.

"How'd you get that?"

"I'm the world's greatest thief. Why did you do this?"

"It was necessary. I had to break Malchior's spell somehow."

"Is he back?" Red X's voice was cold, "I will hurt him worse than you did. I'll kill him if he hurt you."

"He's not back," Raven reassured him through the hammering of her heart, 'He was trying to get me to release him. How'd you get that knife?"

"I told you," Red X murmured into her ear, "I can steal anything."

He was gone.

Raven stared at the place where he had been a moment ago. She turned to return to the Tower, but noticed he had somehow replaced her sketchbook with the knife. Muttering things about too hot arrogant bastard thieves, she floated away.

Red X watched her leave from the tree in the park.

"I can steal anything," he repeated to himself, "even the night jewel's heart."


	7. 6

Disclaimer-I own nothing, including the Teen Titans. And i'm sorry about the length and lack of dialouge and the delay in updates. Things out of my control (including homework, lack of sleep, and natural disasters) kept me from it. So enjoy!

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 6

* * *

It is not the light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

They were quite good drawing, Red X realized as he idly flipped through Raven's sketchbook for the thousandth time. He may not have been an expert, but his profession gave him a certain familiarity with art. Raven was not a genius, but she did have a knack for portraiture. She could express an emotion in a single stroke, and that was what she concentrated on. People. 

The scream of a siren drew him out of his reverie. He glanced up, immediately alert, but it was only an ambulance, heading off somewhere to the east district. There wouldn't be any crime there tonight. The Titans were patrolling. He had entertained the idea hanging out over there to see if he could piss off Bird Brain, or flirt with Raven, but he didn't really feel like it. He figured the Boy Blunder was already pushed to breaking point by him, and Raven needed some time to consider what he had said. He couldn't seem to come on too strong, after all. So he was perched on a building, examining Raven's drawings.

Although he had almost every picture, every pencil stroke memorized by now, he still opened the book to gaze at the drawings by the faint light cast by a streetlight. All the light he needed really. Night sight came in the job description.

Raven may have said he shouldn't be jealous of this Rorek person, and for all he knew she was right. But she had obviously forgotten exactly what was on the page, and he knew how to read between the lines well enough. He had seen the original Mona Lisa. He knew the look of a piece done by a loving hand, with the detail only love could know. These pictures were done in that level, and he could see that however much Raven tried to deny it, she had loved Malchior. The heart that dotted the i of his name could have been a hint, as well. She had loved him, and he had broken her heart. Red X's fists clenched. If this bastard ever came back, Malchior would see what happened to those that messed with his Jewel.

He flipped quickly through those pages, not willing to dwell on a rival. There were some landscapes, a few of the whole team, one or two of robin, a couple more of Beast Boy and Cyborg, and quite a few of Starfire, whom red X assumed would be very willing to pose. And then there was one, barely in the book, as if it had almost been ripped out, of a blonde girl, skinny and boyish, labeled in a flowing hand with one word. Terra. The only one of her in the entire book.

Beyond that came ones of battles, of various fights the titans had fought. A wonderful one of Robin being beaten by Slade, An elegant Starfire about to pound what looked like another alien, and finally him about to win against Robin. That started the series on him.

She had a number of them, although they all seemed to have been done fairly recently. The earlier were simply of him fighting, running, even one of him in the act of stealing (he didn't know how she ever saw that). After that drawing they got more personal. He was gazing out of his window, peering down anxiously at a figure only he knew was her. After that, here were the ones that he assumed she hadn't wanted him to see. Raven had been trying very hard to make it seem impartial to him, and these pictures completely belied that. They had him dancing, laughing, even one of him kissing a violet haired girl he could only assume to be Raven. She had portrayed everything perfectly, except herself. In the pictures she was a stick, with no expression or beauty. He shook his head. Obviously, he needed to get her to see herself better.

The last picture in the book, the one he assumed she had been working on, was unfinished. He stood half in, half out of the shadows. It was perfect in every detail, even of herself, except the head was not yet finished. He saw the rough outline and a number of eraser marks. She had been attempting to draw him without his mask.

As he examined that last page, he could almost see the various faces she had drawn for him. Red, brown, blonde hair. Green, blue, even red eyes. All sorts of combinations. All erased, as she somehow knew they were incorrect.

"Not even close, Jewel," he murmured at the picture, "There are some things not even you could picture."

o0O0o0O0o

It was a nice little club for its kind, as respectable as bars in this part of Jump could be. The drugs weren't sold at the bar, a few bouncers were evident even if a bit tipsy, and they only sold alcohol to known minors for a really good price. Unknown minors, of course, were not their concern. But the music was said to be good and the drinks cheap, so it was well populated, the only breathing space in the private rooms off the side which weren't talked about.

The Titans normally wouldn't have even considered going into someplace like that. It was too shady for their goody two shoes image. But Starfire had spotted it, and apparently someone who owed Robin a favor had said it wasn't too bad, so they were there. Robin could never resist a direct plea from Starfire. They were all in civilian clothes; Raven had covered her hair, Beast Boy and Cyborg were wearing their rings. They were civilians tonight, ready for to dance the night away and hopefully not get stoned and start blabbing about their other life to everyone who would listen. Raven wasn't too sure that wouldn't happen. She wouldn't trust Beast Boy or Starfire not to forget they were incognito.

The club was on edge tonight. Everyone could feel it, from the civilians dancing not so innocently to the criminals who the Titans knew haunted this place, but couldn't begin to prove it. The moment the Titans stepped in, attempting to look casual, they felt it. Instincts put them on the alert, and only strong willpower kept them from dropping into a fighter's crouch. They had managed to forget it, though, dancing and drinking their troubles away. Raven had a feeling robin wouldn't comment on Beast Boy and Cyborg's choice of drinks, as absorbed as he was in dancing with Starfire.

Raven took a deep breath and entered the club. She had been lurking outside, hoping to escape, but Robin had gestured imperiously, and she knew it was either go in or hours of extra training. The training appealed, right about now.

The moment she stepped into the bar, the feelings hit her. Bodies pressed against hers, jostling her into more people, faceless bodies that closed in around her, their emotions flooding her. The rage, the despair, the joy, the hate, the lust as bodies walled her in, cutting off the air she needed so badly to keep control. She began to reel, her body swaying not quite with the music. Some guy took that as dancing and stepped up behind her, grabbing her waist. She barely had the strength to notice, let alone do something about it. Her shields were being constantly battered down by the endless reel of emotions the club was projecting at her. Her control was cracking.

The man's hands moved lower. She reacted unconsciously, slapping him. He stumbled with the force of the blow, and the crack of black magic that it had carried with it. He collapsed. She fled, fighting her way helplessly through the press of bodies. Their sweat rubbed off on her. Their scent filled her nose, until she was coughing to rid herself of it, only to let more in the rare moments she could actually breathe. And forever there were the passions, crushing her inside her self.

Her hands met something solid as she pushed blindly through the club. A wall. Finally. She opened her eyes to find not a wall, but a very amused man, head tilted down at her hands on his chest. She would have blushed, if her cheeks had not already been scarlet from the heat and effort she was exerting. She did remove her hands quickly, looking frantically around for a wall or an exit. She had somehow made her way into the edge of the room near the private rooms. This man was leaning against the wall, or at least had been before her hands had somehow encountered his too muscular chest. Now he was standing straight, shoulders thrown back, face angled so it caught the shadows. She couldn't see his face. She couldn't even sense his emotions as the rest of the crowd's feelings encroached upon her. They were cracking the shields, roots sinking deep into her mind's walls.

She stood taller as well, gathering her strength. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the man cut her off.

"Are you all right, Miss?" he asked in a yell over the music. She shook her head to clear it. Never show weakness, that had always been her mantra.

"I'm fine," she responded as she took a step to walk away. She stumbled as a spike of lust hit her, piercing her shields. The walls crumbled. Her shields were gone, the siege over. She was exposed to every single thing everyone was feeling, all blended into one horrible, glorious mass of emotion.

Warm arms caught her before she could hit the wall and collapse into blessed unconsciousness. The man lifted her up and set her on her feet, where she swayed, barely able to hold herself up. The man sighed and scooped her up in his arms. She flinched as his emotions flooded into her, stronger than anyone else's with the contact. Surprise, joy, lust, and a sullen, smoldering rage. He hesitated at her flinch, but still held her in his arms, his muscles rippling against her bare skin.

"Let's get you out of here," he murmured in her ear, warm breath ruffling her hair. Another emotion emanated from him, seeping into her. She didn't know what it was, but it overwhelmed everything else this unknown man was feeling.

o0O0o0O0o

Damn fate, or karma, or whatever it was. The Titans just had to come here, tonight. The one night he had forgotten to check where they were. The one night he was in civilian clothes. Damn the damn thing that made the crowd open and drop her at his feet. A stupid coincidence. He was just lucky that she hadn't recognized him, that he had had his mask on. That when she had glanced up into his eyes he had recognized her and not given himself away. That it had been her to find her, so he could take care of her.

Her too warm body was pressed against his as he carried her bridal style out of the club, catching sight of the other Titans as he did so. His anger flared. How could they have let her get into this state! They were supposed to be her friends, her family, not let her nearly faint on what could have been a stranger's feet.

The girl was barely conscious now, from what he had no idea, but she had obviously been working too hard and her body was reacting. Her face was a brilliant scarlet, unable to be hidden by the not present cloak.

His larger body broke through the crowd much more readily then her slight frame. In a matter of moments he was out of the building and in the alley beyond, fresh air all around him.

Raven breathed deeply. Her flush receded. Another deep breath, and she motioned with her hands. 2 bracelets dropped into her lap. Weakly, she slipped them on. He smiled slightly. It was good to know his gift had been useful.

She lifted her head, glancing at him. Suddenly he realized he was still holding her. Hurriedly, he set her down.

"Are you better now?" he inquired, trying to act as if he was an impartial observer.

"Much better, thank you," she responded, eye flicking up and down him, trying to see why he could have helped her. She obviously realized she couldn't. "Why'd you help me?" she asked.

"Aren't strangers allowed to be kind once in a while and help a random stranger?" he replied with a grin.

"Not generally, no," her voice was cold, "I dislike being in debt. What can I do to repay you?"

He raised an eyebrow. If he was anyone else, he could think of so many things. But he was himself, and she was Raven, and that made all the difference. It hurt him, though that she would make the offer so readily. Would she have let just anyone take her up on that?

"Well?" she prompted. Her eyes were wide and innocent. It suddenly occurred to him that she had no idea what it sounded like she was offering. She had no idea she could be appealing that way. As pitiful as that sounded, he relaxed. At least she hadn't actually casually offered some random guy that.

"Don't worry," he laughed, "You'll never be in debt to me."

"But I am," she asserted, 'And I would like to repay you."

"I release you from that debt," he replied just as forcefully, "You owe me nothing."

"Why not?" she had taken a step closer. He stepped away. He couldn't risk letting her get close to him again, especially not in her incapacitated state, however much he longed to feel her smooth skin against his again.

"You just aren't, Raven," he declared before he realized he shouldn't know who she was, "You could never be in debt to me."

She recoiled.

"How do you know who I am?" she asked, hands flicking to her wrists, ready to remove the power dampeners.

"I'm perceptive?" he hazarded, "Purple hair isn't that common"

"How do you know?" she repeated, taking another step away, "Who are you?"

He opened his mouth to attempt to salvage the situation when a flash caught his eye in the alley behind her. Light glinted off a metal blade. Raven had no idea of the threat. She was retreating right into it.

"Don't move," he spat.

"Why should I trust you-" her indignant reply was cut off by the metal blade she finally saw streaking towards her. She raised her hands in a futile attempt to ward off the knife.

He moved faster than the eye could see. Instead of striking her in the heart, the knife caught his arm. Another movement and the blade was across the alley. A furious kick, and the man was unconscious on the ground. He stood over the murderer to be, Rage filling unseen eyes.

"Leave it, X"

Raven's cool voice cut through his blood lust. She was on the ground, but raising herself up to her feet, still swaying slightly.

"Jewel!" he exclaimed, dashing over to her regardless of his wound or the unconscious man at his feet, "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"I'm fine," she replied, although she wasn't steady yet, "My shields aren't quite up yet, that's all. But you're hurt…"

She trailed off as she gently probed the wound.

"You need to be healed," she informed him, hands moving to her wrists to undo the bracelets. He grabbed her wrists, blocking her. He brought them down to her sides.

"Don't worry about me," he said, locking her arms there, "You need to recover, that's all that matters."

"But you're hurt!' she protested, "And you just saved my life. I can't let you walk away from that hurt!"

"Don't ever hurt yourself to help me," he ordered, hands still on her wrists, glaring at her even if she couldn't see his eyes, hidden as they were beneath the impromptu mask he had slipped on, "Never. I'm not that important."

"Ha!"

Robin's yell drew their eyes. They hadn't noticed the approach of the Titans.

"What are you doing?" Cyborg demanded of the man, taking in the situation in a glance, and seemingly failing to comprehend it. A man holding Raven, and her not even fighting back? What was wrong?

"You're weak, aren't you, Raven?" Robin yelled, slurring slightly, "Where's your Red X now? He can't protect you! Only we can! Your family!"

Raven stirred, but before she could respond Red X was across the street, right in front of the Titans.

"Where were you when she was fainting in there!" he retorted, voice cold and furious, "When I had to carry her out? When someone tried to kill her? Where was her family? I thought they were supposed to take care of each other"

"We do!" Robin screamed back. Cyborg grabbed Robin by the scruff of his neck as Beast Boy stood next to them, ready to fight if needed. Starfire's hands glittered with green fire. Red X was sinking into his fighting stance.

"Stop fighting!"

Raven's quiet voice cut across the alley. The combatants turned to face the girl, who was supporting herself on a wall to stand.

"We weren't fighting, Raven!" Beast Boy whined.

"It's not our fault your boyfriend took offense at us having fun," Robin asserted.

"Just shut up!" Raven yelled. She collapsed with the force of her rage. The titans stared in confusion as she fell, but Red X was already moving. He caught her as she fell.

"We need to take her home," Cyborg demanded.

"I will," Red X stated.

"You couldn't get in anyway," Robin argued, "And why should we trust you?"

Red X had had enough. Ignoring Robin's protest, he squeezed his glove. The teleportation kicked in, and he was at the tower, Raven in his arms.

Gently, he placed her on her bed, removing her shoes and jewelry. He softly took off the bracelets and placed them next to her. He stood and glanced down at the beautiful face, so serene in sleep. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead before straightening and padding to the door. He never made it. Overcome by blood loss and exhaustion, he passed silently out on the bed next to Raven.


	8. 7

Disclaimer-I don't own the TT.

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 7

* * *

It is not the light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

Raven woke gradually, luxuriously allowing herself the grace to rise slowly, not all at once as heroes were generally forced to. She was about to roll over and return to Dreamland when a sudden shift in the weight of her bed made her nearly jump out of her skin. Someone else was in her bed.

She moved her head just enough to see the figure beside her, sprawled over the covers while she was under the sheets. Sighing with relief (she hadn't thought anything had happened to her while she was messed up from the bar, but then again, if anything had happened, she wouldn't remember), she rolled over a bit more to see who it was.

Red X was sprawled on her bed, still deep in sleep. Surprised (she thought he would be a light enough sleeper to move when she did), she sat up. He shifted slightly to accommodate for her weight, but didn't wake. Damn. That meant she would have to figure out what happened on her own. She remembered her shields breaking, then Red X saving her, and the titans coming outside. After that, nothing. How did she get to her bed, and, more importantly, why was there a man in it with her?

He twitched, muttering something under his breath. She leaned in closer to hear.

"No! Just let me go, I don't know anything! There's nothing you could want with me!"

And then, a moment later,

"I'll escape, you hear me! You can't keep me forever. They'll never give in!"

As he spoke, he trashed slightly. Raven noticed a sheen of red liquid on the covers where he lay. Blood. Right, he had been injured. Why hadn't he been healed?

She leaned over him, trying to make her hands glow with healing power. None came. She was still too weak.

His eyes flickered open.

"No, Jewel, save yourself," he murmured, barely awake. Raven smiled, but before she could respond, his eyes closed and he sank back into sleep. Raven sighed. Well, first things first, she needed rest. She lay back down. As she fell asleep, she didn't notice that she was curled against his back.

o0O0o0O0o

His eyes blinked open, and immediately he stiffened. He wasn't where he was used to waking up, that's for sure. There was a sterile stench in the air, like there was in hospitals. The sheets were stiff and almost too clean. A beeping sound cut the silence.

It had to be a hospital. Or something like it. But if he was there…

His hands snapped up to his mask.

"Calm down," Cyborg's low, calm voice told him, "we didn't tamper with it."

He opened his eyes completely. He was in a hospital looking room, but he could see the view was that of the ocean. The Tower, then. Cyborg was messing around at a nearby table. Beast Boy was perched on a stool, playing a handheld video game.

"Why not?" he asked, sitting up.

"Because that's just low, Dude," Beast Boy informed him, "I mean, taking advantage for you saving Raven? No, we just patched you up, and then let you sleep yourself out."

"Boy Blunder let you?"

"Well," Cyborg grinned, "not exactly."

"As in?" Red X prompted.

"As in, what Rob doesn't know won't hurt him," Cyborg responded.

"Isn't that insubordination?"

"Nope," Beast Boy said smugly, "Raven told us to put you here."

"She's awake?" Red X asked anxiously, "How is she?"

"Still asleep," Cyborg comforted him.

"Then how'd she order you to put me here? And why does that matter?"

"Well, she didn't exactly tell us to verbally. But we figured when we went in to check on her and found you in bed with her she would want to keep you."

Red X gaped.

"Wait, in bed with? But I didn't do-"

'We know," Beast Boy was now deadly serious.

"And that's the only reason you're alive right now," Cyborg added just as seriously, "because if you ever messed with her when she was in that kind of condition, you wouldn't just have Robin to deal with."

"I swear, nothing happened," Red X held up his hands placating, "And why can Raven overrule the Kid?"

"Because technically, she's his superior," beast Boy chortled, "he doesn't like to let it get around, but she's been on the team longer. She proposed the idea to him."

"He must hate that,' Red X observed.

"Oh, he does," Cyborg responded, walking over and grabbing Red X's arm, "It's good for him. How does it feel?"

"Not bad," he flexed the arm experimentally, "but not great."

"Raven can heal you when she's up. For now, we have to go down so Rob doesn't get suspicious. We can't have him kicking you out before Raven heals you. She'd kill us."

"You'd trust me alone in your home?" Red X asked incredulously. That was just stupid.

"Of course not," Cyborg grinned from the other side of the door, "we're locking you in. If the lock is tripped, I'll get an immediate notice to my system. So we'll know. And anyway, it would be foolish of you to pass up a free healing."

The door slid shut.

Red X pulled out the wires connecting him to the monitor and stood cautiously. He didn't sway. He must have been sleeping a while, or the Titans patched him up very well. He had lost a lot of blood.

The room had nothing to do in it. Beast Boy had even taken his Gameboy. And there was no point in trying to get out of the door and bringing Cyborg up here. He probably could have done it without alerting Cyborg, but that just wasn't worth it right now. The window, though, was another story. Obviously the Titans had had little experience in being jailors.

He opened the window and slipped out. It wasn't even locked. Snickering under his breath, he clambered up to the roof. He wasn't going to leave, Cyborg was right about the free healing, but he needed some fresh air. He seated himself on the edge, and stared off into the ocean.

"I figured you'd be here."

Raven's monotone cut the long silence. He didn't turn.

"I see why you like it up here. It's peaceful."

"Especially compared to the rest of the tower." She sat down next to him, folding her legs beneath her, "No one ever comes up here."

"No one?"

"Well, Robin and Starfire will occasionally come up here. And Speedy likes it up here whenever he's at this tower. We'll hang out up here sometimes. "

At this, Red X turned to look at her.

"Speedy?"

"Yeah, Titans East. Old sidekick of Green Arrow. You can't tell me you haven't heard about him."

"On the contrary," Red X muttered. He had seen far too many magazines with captions pairing Raven and Speedy, photos of their moments, and articles talking about how they were obviously together.

"Hmm?" Raven asked, but her attention had turned back to the ocean and the sun just beginning to set.

"My mother liked the sunset," she observed. Red X snapped to attention. Raven, offering intelligence about her past?

"It was the one time she would talk to me," Raven continued, not paying any attention to him, "she used to say she liked it because it meant that in another part of the world, the sun was rising."

"Was?" X inquired gently.

"She's dead," Raven offered shortly.

"Oh." He didn't bother saying he was sorry, she probably got platitudes too often, "was she like you?"

"I don't know," Raven responded meditatively, "she barely ever talked to me. I don't think she liked me very much."

"Why not?"

"I was the symbol of her mistakes, and all of Azarath made her remember that. I brought back memories of bad times."

"That shouldn't make her dislike you," Red X protested vehemently.

"Since when has emotion been logical?" Raven asked rhetorically, "I'm over it. I suppose my childhood wasn't that bad. The others' were worse."

"Most of the other Titans had loving parents for at least a little time," Red X corrected. She didn't ask how he knew their pasts.

"True. What were your parents like?"

Red X froze. Raven shook her head, as if clearing it.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," she apologized. He didn't speak. They sat in silence.

"They were the opposite, and yet the same. They didn't care, but they showed that by giving me everything they thought I could ever want," he spoke more to the sky then to Raven.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked gently.

"I grew up in the best part of Gotham. And I mean the very best. The billionaire section. I never went out of that section when I was a kid," Red X gazed out over the ocean, seeing something Raven could never see, "And when I was little, I didn't have any friends. I scared people, see. My parents were the head of some major corporation, and they raised me to be snobbish. None of the other kid's parents had their kind of money, so they weren't good enough to befriend me. I was lonely. Kids need friends, and I didn't have anyone to play with. I mean, my parents were super attentive, but I could tell it was more because they thought they should, not because they actually liked me. I had tutors for some stuff, but no real companions. I threw all my energy into learning aggressive stuff. I learned to fight, and I figured out how to pick locks and stuff."

He caught sight of Raven's slight smile.

"Yeah, even then I had quick fingers and an interest in stealth. And I was happy, or I thought I was. You don't know much about being happy as a little kid. But that was my life until I was seven."

He knew he didn't have to go on, but now that he had started, he just had to get it all out. It had been too long since he had talked to anyone who knew him, the real him behind the mask.

"But after I was seven, it was that much better. Because then I met my friends. Actually, I tried to steal Dick's wallet, Roy tried to stop me, and we all got into a huge fight, after which we were best of friends."

"Who won the fight?" Raven inquired with a barely perceptible smirk.

"Well, that depends," Red X admitted, "Dick always maintained that he slaughtered us, and Roy staunchly stuck with him defeating us after a pitched battle. But really? I killed them both, and it was 2 against one."

Raven rolled her eyes, and X shrugged.

"What can I say? We were all way too competitive. That's part of what made us friends. We all competed so much, as the strongest boys in school, that it was either be best of friends or worst of enemies. Not that we weren't enemies a lot. Put three leaders in one trio of friends, all of whom have short tempers, and, well, there were a lot of fights. But it was always Dick, Roy, and me. We terrorized the other billionaires. My parents got kind of sick of dragging me away from irate adults, but what could they do? Bruce and Oliver had as much, if not more, money then them, so they couldn't complain."

"Wait, do you mean Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen?" Raven exclaimed, shocked into interrupting.

"Yeah," X replied offhandedly, still immersed in his past.

"So Dick and Roy would be Richard Grayson and Roy Harper, their wards?"

Red X nodded.

"Why?" he asked.

"Just wondering," Raven shook her head, inner laugh not showing on her face, "What were they like? What were you like?"

"I dunno. We were all so different, but so alike. We were all competitive and really good fighters, and aggressive even for preteen boys, but other than that, we were really different. We all had our different images."

He trailed off. Raven let him consider for a moment, then put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Such as?" she prompted.

"Well, Roy was the bad boy. He was blunt and brash and crude and the girls loved him. I think he started getting laid at about 13, and after that he had a different girl on his arm every day. Most people thought that kid wasn't capable of actually being serious or thinking, but Dick and I knew better. Roy was intelligent, but he acted on instinct. Dick never really accepted that as the best way to do things, even though he did it to. He just denied that he did.

"Dick constantly brooded about everything, and then he just forgot about what he had decided and did the rashest thing possible. He was just too passionate. He did everything as much as he could, living, fighting, playing. Even girls. He wasn't quite as popular as Roy, but he had the whole tall dark and brooding thing going, even though he was a shrimp. Poor kid, never topped 5'4"…"

He was silent.

"And you?" Raven encouraged quietly.

"Me?" Red X laughed bitterly, "I was the middle one. I wasn't nearly as popular with the girls, although compared to Dick and Roy no one was. I just sort of tagged along. They could always out fight me, but I was always best at sneaking. I could outsmart them by a mile, though. I made the plans for our mischief, I was the one who kept everyone alive throughout our partying nights, I made sure they were awake and at school when they were hung-over. I wasn't really anything great, but they accepted me as their equal. So I couldn't hate them. But they had everything, the looks, the skills, the popularity. The only thing I had over them was parents. And that was never enough. They never knew how lucky they were, having only a single man as their guardian. They weren't isolated from the world. They weren't locked in a gilded cage." He sighed, "But hey, we were friends. I didn't envy them that much."

"They seem like great friends," Raven observed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. I mean, I was jealous, as I said, but that didn't matter. I was part of a trio, and we knew everything about each other, or so I thought. It was a good life."

"So what happened?" Raven queried. She had been drawn into the past of this enigmatic boy, who had had everything and had changed so much, "why'd you leave?"

"Things changed," Red X replied, "On my fifteenth birthday, everything changed."


	9. 8

Disclaimer- I don't own the Teen Titans. And I know this isn't the best chapter, but i wanted to get something up soon. I'm sorry for the quality and length.

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 8

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

Raven glanced at the man beside her, but his mask hid his face, and the only emotion she could sense was nostalgia. He was staring off over the bay, apparently not planning on continuing. She didn't press him. She knew how hard it was to share the past. 

"I never had friends," she said softly, speaking as if to herself, "All the children were afraid of me. So were the adults, really. No one would stand by me; because they were afraid I would hurt them or rub off on them. But I didn't really know what I was missing. I never saw the other children much; I was kept in my tower, locked away like Rapunzel. Except the door wasn't locked by anyone but me. I was afraid of me."

Red X didn't act surprised that she was sharing part of her past with him. Instead, he looked down at her, but this time she was gazing at the long since set sun.

"Why?"

She turned to look at him, smiling wryly.

"Knowing you're going to end the world is a bit depressing, not to mention frightening."

"Touché," he replied. They were silent a moment, both lost in their own pasts.

"I thought the birthdays when important stuff happened were 16, or 21. Not 15."

"Or 18," Raven added.

"Or 18," he agreed, "But for me, it was 15."

He trailed of. This time, she did gently press him.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I was kidnapped," he stated shortly. She nodded, but reacted to his curt tone by stiffening slightly. He relented.

"I was walking home from the party Dick and Roy had thrown me and some guys surrounded me and knocked me out. I didn't even have a chance to fight back. And when I woke up, I was chained to a table, somewhere. I've never found out where." He shuddered slightly. "These people had taken me for black mail. Their company wanted my parents to do something, I'm not sure what. And do you know what happened? Who came for me?"

"Who?" Raven asked obediently, her voice soft compared to his yell.

"No one!" he spat, voice dropping dangerously soft, "I was there for 1 week, and no one came for me. My parent obviously wouldn't even do what was necessary to save their only son. None of the oh so precious heroes came to save me."

"Not even Robin or Speedy," she inquired.

"No one. What good are you heroes if you can't save someone who really needs it?"

She flinched at the harsh truth in his words, as well as the pain she knew the heroes must have felt at their helplessness.

"How'd you escape, then?"

"How do you think? Even then, I was a thief. I don't think my captors expected me to know how to fight or do anything. Not even Dick and Roy knew how good I was, sneaking into their gyms at night. I picked my chains and snuck out, half starved and out of my mind. And I did it alone," he ended bitterly.

"You made it home that weak?" Raven dead panned, keeping her feelings to herself. Red X didn't notice. He was still wrapped up in pain half a decade old.

"No. Someone did help me. Not my parents or my friends. No, complete strangers. I don't know how or why. I fainted after I got out. Next time I opened my eyes, I was in a den with a family of homeless people. They didn't have anything for themselves, but they nursed me back to health. They were the ones who stood by me, a complete stranger, when I was in need. Not those who should have."

"You can't know that they wouldn't have done the same thing," raven observed, "If they had been given the chance."

"Yes, I do," Red X growled, "After I came back. Dick and Roy would hardly look at me anymore. My parents treated me like glass. They kept me even more at home, scared their legacy would be hurt. Not me, their heir. They only cared about their image. My only real friends were in the lower city. I started sneaking out to go there at night, instead of with Roy and Dick. That's where I became the thief."

"So your parents let you go?"

"Are you kidding? They would never have done that. I was their only heir. I left on my own. They might have searched, but they couldn't have found me. I went to my real friends."

"Do you even know how your friends felt about that? You could've been captured again."

"I left them a note, saying I was fed up, and not to go after me. And obviously, they didn't care enough to find me."

Red X was seething now, almost shaking with years old rage. He turned to look at the girl beside him, searching for the sympathy he expected and wanted, though if she pitied him he would hurt her. There was no emotion on her pale face.

"Perhaps they cared enough to let you go," she murmured soothingly, as if to a wild animal. His fists clenched, than slowly unclenched as he got himself back under control.

"Perhaps."

Raven could feel the fury still burning beneath his outward calm.

"It's okay to be angry," she told him gently, "It's okay to feel."

He snorted.

"Says the girl who refuses to."

"There are special circumstances for me. For a human, you need to feel."

"No, everyone needs to feel." He grabbed her wrist, "Even half demons. Even you."

She pulled her hand away and stood, turning away so she was facing the shadows cast by the scaffolding of the roof.

"I can't," she stated quietly, looking into the darkness, "Not anymore."

A bare hand ran down her cheek. Red X's voice spoke into her ear.

"This doesn't make you feel?"

Raven took a deep breath. She could feel his body behind hers, hard and muscled. His warm breath whispered against her face, gentle hand still caressing her skin. She shivered.

Lips brushed the base or her neck.

"I don't make you feel?" he murmured. She could feel the emotion rising in her, fighting to escape the bonds she had put on it after the last time someone had made her feel this way.

"No!" she cried, yanking away, "I don't feel anything!"

She disappeared into a portal. Red X gazed at the spot where she had been a long time after she was gone. He had been so damn close!

"Well," he told the moon, "No one said it was going to be easy."


	10. 9

Disclaimer- I don't own the TT.

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 9

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire, not the gentle storm butthunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

"Why does that man have to be so damn confusing!" Raven yelled into the silence pervading her room, "Why does he have to be so damn right!" 

She heard a few books fly out of the bookcase, but ignored them. Her concentration was already ruined, thanks to Him, so what could a bit more raging do? Her room began to blow, as if caught in an intense whirlwind. Loose papers, books, even the figurines were caught in the tornado of dark magic centered on the girl. The only thing in the room not to move was the obsidian knife tucked into her belt, though her cloak and belt and even necklace were twining about her.

"Raven?" the soft knock on the door interrupted Raven's ire, "May I speak to you?"

Raven's cloak settled back into place along with the rest of the room, although a number of the books were still on the floor, and it was far dustier than usual. Pulling up the hood of her cloak, she opened the door just as Starfire was raising her hand to knock.

"What?" she asked, not caring if her curtness hurt the sensitive girl's feelings.

"May I enter?" If there was one thing that endeared Starfire to Raven, it was the correct use of the words 'may' and 'can'.

Raven glanced around the room. It didn't look too much like she had just had a temper tantrum in there, not enough so that Star would notice or she couldn't explain away.

"If you want."

The door slid open the rest of the way. The moment it did so, raven was barreled aside by three figures rushing inside and slamming the door closed, as much as a sliding door could be slammed. Raven glared at Beast Boy and Cyborg, attempting deep, claming breaths.

"I will give you to the count of ten," she began, but Cyborg cut her off.

"This is an intervention, Raven."

The words took her so much by surprise as to cut off her fury entirely.

"What?" Her snap was half-hearted at the most.

"What did you do to Red X?" Beast Boy clarified. Raven's cloak flared away form her body in a burst of anger.

"What did I do? What did **I** do! That's not the question!" she exclaimed angrily, "The real problem is, what did he do? And why in all my father's hells is he doing it? He's messing everything up!"

"But friend Raven," Starfire interjected as Raven paused for breath, "What is this 'everything' you speak of?"

"All the rules! Everything that makes the world go round! The boundaries that make heroes heroes and thieves villains! My shields!"

"So you admit that you feel something for him," Cyborg said, quick to jump on the opening she had left him.

"I said no such thing," Raven contradicted, calm once more.

"Who are you trying to kid?" Beast Boy laughed, "Titans East is asking about it. Even Robin is catching on. What more do you need to know you're being obvious?"

"I don't feel anything," Raven repeated, hoping that if she said it, it would be true, 'He doesn't make me feel at all."

"And if you believe that, you are a khlorbag," Starfire stated calmly, "You know he makes you feel, and you are scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Uh, dude, stop denying you're scared," Beast Boy begged, "I don't feel like another haunted house."

He was treated to withering glances from all the teammates in the room.

"Not that kind of scared," Cyborg informed him loftily.

"I knew that," at the others' obvious skepticism, he frowned. "Really, I did!"

"Returning to the point," Cyborg announced, "Raven, just admit that you like the guy. As long as you keep him in line, no one cares that he's a criminal."

"I don't like him!" she asserted. Beast Boy dodged a flying book. She continued regardless, "and he doesn't really like me!"

Three amazed stares greeted her last statement.

"Dude, you're an idiot," Beast Boy said slowly, as if in great revelation.

"Do you really believe that?" Cyborg's amazement shone through every line of his metallic face.

"Friend, that is the stupidest thing you have ever said." Scorn dripped from Starfire's voice.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked, in real confusion.

"He saved your life," Cyborg began.

"But so have you," Raven observed.

"He told you his life story," Starfire asserted.

"Not anything incriminating."

"Enough that you could track him down, however," Starfire pointed out.

"Not really. Not a name, or even really a place. If I was anyone else, I wouldn't have a clue."

"But you are not just anyone, you are you. And you have resources that he does not truly know of, or so I would believe," Star contradicted. As she realized what she had said, she blushed and averted her eyes. "Not that I heard anything, of course."

"Starfire, never be an actor, okay," Raven admonished, "Because you can't lie for your life. How much did you hear?"

"I heard Robin's name and became like a cat," Starfire admitted, "I only listened until I perceived what you were speaking about, however. I let after that."

"Good."

"But from what I heard," the alien continued, "You could find out who he is, if you wished."

"But he doesn't know that," Raven explained.

"He took the chance," Cyborg cut in, "He's as suspicious as you, he might have considered you knew someone related to his story. He trusted you, Rae. And maybe its time to repay that trust."

"I don't trust anyone." She turned away, looking into the dark wall. The obsidian knife at her hip glinted, drawing her attention.

"Perhaps you should reconsider that," Starfire stated. Raven heard two pairs of feet, one light and one heavy, leave the room. She assumed that Starfire had floated, and the boys had walked out.

"He's not evil now, Rae." Beast Boy's voice proved her assumption wrong. She turned to face him. He was standing in the middle of her room, face uncharacteristically grave. When she didn't stop him, the boy continued, "Don't make him change that."

Raven's face was filled with confusion.

"Terra didn't go to Slade on a whim," Beast Boy explained, eyes bright with unshed tears, "I pushed her away. Don't make my mistake, Raven. Or maybe he'll be stone this time, and you'll be the one crying."

He walked away, pout of the room. Raven stared after him, too struck by the comparisons to think about the ramifications on Beast Boy of such a statement. She wouldn't push X over the edge, would she? Just because she had issues, it didn't mean he would be hurt by them. She wouldn't hurt him. She would never hurt him.

"You see, dear heart?" a too familiar voice hissed from one of the open books her rage had thrown on the floor, "You hurt everyone you love. If you let this boy in, you will hurt him. I am the only one to free you from the cycle. Liberate me, and you can love me without fear, for you cannot hurt me."

"I hurt you once," Raven retorted, refusing to be caught in the spell of his words, so smooth in comparison to Red X's rough, sincere compliments. Malchior chuckled richly, his voice reverberating throughout the closed room. X's only echoed through her heart.

"But never again," the dragon assured her, "Never again, my lovely Raven. You cannot hurt me, so I am safe. I am the one you were always meant to love, the sole being in the multiverse to be unafraid to let you love them."

"Not the only one," Raven said suddenly, a small, almost shy, smile spreading over her face, "Maybe there is another."

She strode out of the room without hearing Malchior's reply.

o0O0o0O0o

"Robin?"

"What?" he almost managed not to sound like a petulant child. But only almost.

"Don't act so immature," Raven scolded, "May I talk to you?"

He hit a button, and Raven padded in, her feet making almost no noise on his hard floor. Purposely hard, because it was so hard for people to move silently on it. Still, he only heard her because his senses had long been honed to pick up every detail, to never fail him. And yet they did, time and again. He couldn't keep anyone safe, not his parents, not his mentor, not his teammates, and not his friends.

"What do you want?"

"To apologize."

The words took him so much by surprise that for a moment, he forgot his anger. Everyone knew Raven never apologized unless under extreme duress.

"For what?"

"I've been treating you very rudely for only trying to protect me," she recited. He wondered who had coached her, and almost missed her last, muttered words, "However unnecessary it may be."

Those made him feel better. The words were Raven's, pure and unadulterated. He held back a smirk. He could milk the remorse a little bit longer.

"How do you know it's not necessary?"

He had meant it to be a joke, sort of. She took it seriously.

"I don't, not really. But Rob," she stopped, than amended herself, "But Dick, I want to take a chance for once in my life. I'm going with my feeling. I don't think he'll hurt me. And even if he does," her voice grew cold, 'I have experience dealing with those sorts of entities."

Robin had stiffened when he heard his birth name on her lips, but as she continued, he realized he couldn't be mad while she was bearing her soul to him. They were soul siblings. They argued, but at the end of the day, they both knew they had each other's best interest at heart.

"I don't think you can imprison Red-X in a book, Raven," he teased.

"Malchior was a centuries old dragon," Raven replied, voice anything but mirthful, "Red X is but a man. I can do much, much worse to him."

"I'd take offense at the 'but a man' comment if I didn't know what you were comparing men to."

Her look told him how not impressed she was by his wit.

"But in all seriousness, Raven, I'm sorry too," he tried to imbue all the sincerity he was capable of in his voice. He didn't like raven being mad at him. It was as bad as when Star was. No, not as bad, nothing could be that bad. But it came in a fairly close second.

"Good. Now we're even."

"I guess I was just being overprotective-"

"You think?"

"Shut up. I was being overprotective, and maybe, a bit jealous."

Raven's face was comically horrified.

"Robin, you like Star. Not me. Right?"

Robin laughed.

"Of course," he assured her, "Don't worry. But he's supposed to be my alter-ego. A reflection of me. I'm supposed to be the better half of him. So why does he get his girl before I get mine?"

"Because he had the courage to speak up," Raven informed him, "And he hasn't gotten the girl he's pursuing yet. He has a lot more wooing to do first."

She rose, but Robin stopped her from leaving.

"What do you mean, he spoke up."

"He started wooing me. You have barely made a move on Star. You're just lucky she's infatuated with you."

She slipped out of the room, leaving Robin looking after her, almost motivated by her words. A moment later, she ducked back in.

"Dick, you said you knew Roy when you were growing up. Did you have any other friends?"

"Yeah, one," Robin told her cautiously, hoping she didn't catch him not naming the boy. Wherever Jason was now, he really didn't want him mixed up in this business. Again.

"What happened to him? Did you keep in touch?"

"He disappeared. Ran away. Why?" Robin's voice was tight with guilt and anger. Anger at Raven for bringing it up and anger at himself, for being so weak.

"No reason, I just wanted to know. And Rob?"

"What?"

"Starfire was looking for you. She said something about a new cafe she wanted to try."

Raven laughed as she watched Robin scramble to his feet and bolt out of his room. Starfire was good for her soul brother. And it appeared Red X was telling the truth, he really must have trusted her. Maybe, just maybe, Red X could be good for her as well.


	11. 10

Disclaimer-I don't own the TT

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 10

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

The alarm blared, jolting Raven out of her attempted meditation. Meditation because Red X's image had been wearing down at her concentration and equilibrium. Attempted, because the thought of him jolted her out of her meditation. She had been trying to find him for the past week , but he was as adept at hiding as she was. Probably better, as he was a professional. And she was not going to use any Titan's equipment to find him. He was not allowed to know she was searching for him. She refused to come off desperate. She was going to apologize, yes, but as an equal. Raven refused to act like one of the girls she so often condemned, who chased after the boys (and occasionally Starfire) acting like a bitch in heat. 

Raven rushed down to the common room. The rest of the titans were standing at the screen, faces tense.

"What's wrong?' she asked, approaching her team.

"Nothing!" Beast Boy exclaimed hurriedly, "Why would anything be wrong? It's not like-"

A large, metallic hand slid over his mouth.

"Shut up," Cyborg commanded in an undertone. Raven raised an eyebrow at the duo before turning to her two almost sane teammates.

"So, now that those two have confirmed that something more then a normal super villain is happening, I would be happy to be filled in at any moment."

Robin gave the other boys a glare that threatened hours of extra practice. They swallowed nervously and looked away. He turned back to Raven, who was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Raven, it's Red X."

Raven stiffened for a moment, but she collected herself quickly. She strode forward to look at the screen. When she looked back up, her face was set in the hard, emotionless mask the Titans hadn't seen since Trigon had come.

"If we have a fix on his location, shall we go?" she inquired, her voice set in its perfect monotone.

Starfire looked compassionately at her friend, remembering Robin's times as Slade's apprentice.

"Perhaps Raven should stay here?" she suggested.

"I agree," Beast Boy declared seriously. Everyone knew he was remembering his last fight with Terra.

"That's probably a good idea," Cyborg agreed. Raven said nothing, but she looked at the Boy Wonder expectantly, awaiting his decision.

Robin rubbed his forehead. Why did everything have to come back to him? Even Raven's drama. What he wouldn't give for a nice, quiet evening with Starfire with no responsibilities to get in the way. But for the moment, people were counting on him.

"She will go," he announced. A clamor broke out form Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. Raven simply nodded, and prepared to go, when Robin's voice once more cut through the hubbub.

"She will go," he repeated, "alone. The rest of us are staying here."

Raven blinked once, slowly. Robin grinned. For once, he had managed to surprise Raven, a reward in and of itself. At his encouraging nod, raven took a deep breath and disappeared into her portal. The others watched her go.

"Friend Robin, are you sure this is a good idea?" Starfire asked, coming up to stand beside him.

"No," Robin admitted, "But it's the best I could think of. He didn't actually steal anything, just set off an alarm. It's their call, what happens to them now."

Starfire nodded, squeezing his shoulder gently. He winced, but covered her hand with his own. Beast Boy and Cyborg watched the tableau for a moment.

"Hey, dude, if we aren't out there, I bet I could beat you at LXRacer500!" Beast Boy challenged loudly.

"No way, grass stain!" Cyborg responded, and they were already racing to the couch when Robin called them back.

"Oh no you don't," he reprimanded, "Titans East are going to be here soon. We are going to clean this Tower from top to bottom!"

Not even Robin could make those last words sound enthusiastic. As Starfire's eyes lit up, Cyborg turned accusingly to Robin.

"Sure," he moaned, "Give Raven the easy job."

o0O0o0O0o

Raven appeared on a roof about a quarter of a mile away from the scene of the crime. Looking down, she saw a jewelry store on the coordinates. Raven set her face back in her mask, choking down the immediate concerns of who he was getting the jewels for. If he wasn't planning on getting it for her, then who was it going to? Maybe she was right to avoid him. He had obviously gotten over her; she had no cause to apologize. She didn't care either, no matter what her teammates had said.

Raven sighed and glanced across the street at the jewelry store. Now if she only believed that…

"Jewel."

His voice, although not synthesized, did not have the same fondness it had always had when saying that name. If that was the way he was going to be, so be it. Raven turned slowly, mask set in place as surely as his was.

"X."

He was lounging against another building across the roof from her, half in shadow. In his shadowed hand, he held something, Raven couldn't make out what.

"It's your turn to say something," Raven announced, breaking the uncomfortable silence a minute later.

"What is there to say?"

"How about telling me why you've been avoiding me this past week?" raven suggested.

"Who says I was avoiding you."

She was staring straight at the eyes of his mask, but they both knew she knew he wasn't meeting her eyes. Another silence ensued.

"Damn it, X" Raven suddenly announced, "You know perfectly well I've been trying to find you. Just admit it. Why didn't you want to talk to me?"

"I'm not in the habit of letting heroes find me whenever they wish."

That, more than anything, hurt. That she was now on the same level as all the other heroes he despised, after he had confided in her, and, to a certain extent, she to him.

Raven's back straightened, her chin went up, and her hood rose to cover her face. Red X felt like he was looking at a stranger again, not the girl he had been successfully wooing.

"Well, then, there is nothing more to say."

He didn't have to dodge the rock her magic had thrown his way. It hit a foot to his right.

"That was pitiful," he taunted. He could see her clench her fists beneath her cloak, trying to contain her anger. He continued, "It's almost like you didn't want to hit me. Like I might mean enough to you that you want to keep me whole."

He could hear her muttering under her breath, grasping at her control through her anger. The pressure of the air was rising, like a storm was heading their way. This feeling, though, was centered on the dark girl shrouded in shadows. He continued once again.

"Like you might actually care about me. Like I might make you feel."

The storm arrived. Dust and rocks spun into a whirlwind, dashing him with sharp pieces of glass, magical wind shrieking as it battered. Through the fog of dirt and dust, Red X could see Raven standing in the eye, cape whipping about her, the black of her magic twining around her in slow, sinuous movements. Never, thought Red X, had she looked so beautiful. And never, had she seemed so dangerous. But it was a risk he had to take. As the shriek grew louder and louder, and the whirlwind rose to stand at least 20 feet above them, red X cried out his final taunt over the magic.

"Do I, Jewel? Do I make you feel?"

"Yes, dammit!" Raven yelled, wrenching the words out of all the shields built up to stop her from admitting it.

The storm died as suddenly as it began. The magic was swallowed into Raven, the dust and rocks rained down on them from where it had been released. Her cloak fell about her again, but the hood was off, and she was no longer the goddess in all her glory and rage, but just a girl. A girl in need of comforting.

"Yes, you do," Raven repeated, hands falling limply against her side. She looked at the man standing across from her. "I'm sorry I troubled you this evening," she said quietly, "I'll go now."

Three strides brought him across the roof.

"Who says I'll ever let you go?" he asked hoarsely, pulling Raven into a hug. For the first time, she relaxed into his embrace.

"You aren't mad?" she asked, realizing the stupidity of the question only after it had escaped her mouth. What was happening to her? Raven never, ever spoke rashly.

"Only for a moment," Red X admitted, too overjoyed by the feeling of holding Raven in his arms to be concerned about anything in the world, including the stupidity of her question.

"So I scripted my whole apology for nothing?" she said, mock whining. Red X let her go, but only to grab on to both her shoulders, as if assuring himself she wouldn't run away.

"No, that was much, much better then an apology," he assured her, "I liked the whirlwind effect. Very dramatic."

"I try," Raven drawled, making a face at him. Red X grinned, even if she couldn't see it, and lifted her chin with one hand.

"You don't have to try with me, Jewel," he murmured.

The ringing of Raven's communicator broke the easy silence. Raven pulled it out with a groan.

"Are you done yet?" Robin asked curtly, "They're going to be here in about 5 minutes, and I really don't want to deal with them on my own."

"I'll be there in a moment," Raven replied, closing the communicator briskly.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," she told Red X.

"Come with me," Red X urged, though he didn't have any hope it would be accepted, "Just flout Robin's commands for once."

"I would," Raven admitted, "But it's Titans East, and I haven't seen Speedy in forever, and…"

She trailed off at the emotion rolling off of Red X.

"You're seeing Speedy?" he spat. Raven peered at him a moment, then her eyes widened she grinned.

"You're jealous," She announced, barely concealing her glee, "You're jealous of Speedy!"

"I am not," he instantly retorted. False, they both knew, but neither of them had to admit it. He had effectively just told her, and he knew better then to try to lie to an empath.

Darkness rose up to engulf her. In the midst of that unnatural black, Red X felt a small hand touch his mask.

"Don't worry," Raven breathed in his ear, "This jewels to precious to be stolen."

She was gone, but not before he had a chance to slip something into her hand. The stars blinked far above him.

"I told you so!" he taunted, before disappearing himself.

Raven appeared on the roof of the tower, savoring the last few moments before she had to face the interrogation that she knew would come. She rubbed the jewel on the brooch Red X had given her, and smiled, before disappearing into the bosom of her family.


	12. 11

Disclaimer- I don't own the TT

* * *

Night Jewel

Story by StormDancer

Chapter 11

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

The entranceway of the Tower was filled with its usual clamor of greetings and exclamations as Titans East trooped in, baggage in hand. The cries of welcome, in many languages, filled the air, covering everyone in their joyous noise.

Raven hated it. She sunk into the shadows, hoping the noise would stop soon. She loved her Titan East family, but she did not do greetings. And she still needed time to think about what had just happened. Did she really just say she cared about him, without hurting him? That wasn't supposed to be able to happen. She wasn't allowed to care. She wasn't allowed to love.

"Sorry I had to call you back so soon," Robin muttered, retreating back into her corner after the initial hugs, "But I can't deal with all this insanity on my own."

"You make up more than half of it," Speedy retorted, striding over to join them.

"No, that's you. I'm not the one who carries a comb wherever I go."

"I don't use 3 bottles of gel everyday."

"That was once! I was a kid, remember! And you use 2."

"Nice to see you too, Dick."

"Welcome to Titan Tower, Roy."

"I live in a Titan Tower too."

"You live in Titan East Tower. Not Titan Tower."

"They're the same thing"

"No they aren't."

"Yes they are."

Raven held back a smirk and the bickering. They might seem like they hated each other, and the fighting never ended when they were around, but she knew them both well enough to understand that that was just how their friendship worked. In reality, they were best of friends, and everyone in this room knew that.

"If you two are done creating a two year old mindset here…" Raven prompted, cutting the bickering boys off.

"Oh, right," Speedy looked Raven over, drawing his eyes slowly from her feet to her crown, "Hello, Raven, you're looking as beautiful as ever."

"Dude, you can't say that anymore," Beast Boy teased, "Rae's taken."

At the girl in question's glare, Beast Boy decided it would be a very good time to go show the new video games to Aqualad.

"Oh really," Speedy drawled, "And who should I be jealous of?"

"You, jealous?" Robin retorted, "I'd like to see the day."

"I am jealous, occasionally."

"Like when?" Robin challenged.

"Remember that time in 6th grade when Jas- when someone beat me everyday for a week? I was mad jealous of him then."

No one else had noticed the slip, but Raven had. So Roy still remembered the boy Red X had once been as well. And, judging by the nostalgia in his tone, he missed that boy.

"Well, he always was the best fighter," Robin agreed, the same wistfulness in his tone. The two boys looked at each other a moment, lost in their shared remembrances.

"Anyway," Speedy said, breaking the veil of the past, "Who's our little Rae Rae taken by?"

A crack in his back pocket heralded a broken comb.

"Was that really necessary?" he groaned.

"Raven. Not Rae and certainly not Rae Rae."

"Okay, okay," he covered his head with his hands, cowering in mock fear, "Whatever you say."

"I knew you'd see it my way," she agreed, smirking slightly.

"Sounds like a song," Robin observed, "You just rhymed 3 times."

"Give the boy a medal," Raven drawled as Speedy swatted at Robin and Robin ducked the blow and it quickly escalated into a full sparring match. Raven watched, idly rubbing the opal on her necklace.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire cried, "You must come help me show Friend Bee my delightful new attire!"

Raven took one glance at the fighting boys and swept away. A moment after she left, the boys finished their fight in a draw.

"So, who is Raven taken by?" Speedy asked as they walked into the main room, ignoring the other people scattered around.

"Red X," Robin admitted sullenly. Speedy blink twice beneath his mask.

"Red X?" he repeated in amazement. Robin nodded.

"As in, the only criminal you've never really been able to beat who is half a good guy."

Robin nodded again.

"And you're okay with that!"

"I'm dealing," Robin confessed, "Why, are you actually jealous?"

"No, but I'm amazed that you can deal with the sister you never had with a criminal."

"I'm working on my tolerance."

"Why? Why aren't you just forbidding Raven to see him?" Speedy asked, bemused. Robin stared blankly at him.

"Have you ever tried forbidding Raven to do something? It's not an experience I would like to go through again. And he's Red X. He could sneak in here if he wanted."

"Touché."

"Not to mention," Robin added sadly, "She's been happier lately then she ever has been before, and if he makes her happy, I can deal."

"Which is exactly what we'll say when you ask Starfire out," Speedy smirked.

"Whoever said I would?"

"Dick, I've known you since we were seven and squabbling over who got the biggest cookie. I've seen you with enough girls. Just ask her out already."

"When I'm ready, Roy, when I'm ready. I don't have a girl of the day like you do."

"Hey, it's girl of the week."

"Half a week."

"5 days."

"Deal."

"Want to go out somewhere?" Roy asked, "I'm bored here."

"We can go patrol, if you want," Robin suggested.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Let's go to a bar."

"Roy, we're superheroes now, we can't just go and bet drunk."

"Want to bet?" Speedy smirked, "I can still drink you under the table."

"Oh, you're on," Robin returned the smirk. "I'm going out," he announced, as they jogged out of the tower, "Raven, you're on damage patrol."

Raven glared around at Aqualad and Beast Boy frantically competing in video games, Mas y Menos whirling around Starfire in blissful attention, and Bee trying to flirt with Cyborg and getting gently rebuffed. She sighed. Robin always gave her the difficult jobs.

o0O0o0O0o

So that was the Speedy he had heard so much about. Red X watched the archer jog out of the Tower with Robin, easily keeping pace with the shorter boy. He was handsome enough, Red X supposed, but he looked like he'd be a bit weak as close range. There wasn't anything for Raven to see in him.

Still, as the heroes drifted off towards downtown, Red X rose from his post and ghosted after them. They were about to enter a bar, still bickering, when a huge fist smashed down beside them, missing Robin by millimeters.

A massive thing was standing over them, a horrible mix of bear and bull and some sort of slobbering monster head.

"So much for our afternoon off," Red X heard Speedy mutter as he strung his bow. Robin nodded curtly.

"The others will get an alert in a bit, if we can't handle it."

"Not soon enough," Speedy responded as the monster raised a screaming person to their mouth, "We need to destroy this thing now. We don't need them, anyway."

He shot an arrow, neatly forcing the monster to drop the woman. She fell, still screaming, but neither hero noticed. Red X caught her and set her on her feet, waving away thanks, before turning back to the fight.

It wasn't going well for the heroes. The monster was just too big and too hardy, and even if it was almost slow, its strength more than made up for it. Still, Speedy and Robin were doing a decent job containing and delaying it. Red X let himself get sucked into watching the fight, half-admiring the artistry of it. They had obviously fought together before, moving as if it were a dance. Red X began to feel that deadly dance, knowing instinctively where the next strike would hit. He saw the weaknesses, the places that were left for a third person to fill. A place he almost remembered…

"Try our old attack pattern 42!" Robin yelled to Speedy.

"It won't work without Jas- another person!" Speedy yelled back, dodging a flailing claw.

"I don't care, just try it!"

Robin and Speedy dove for the monster's legs, but Red X was already moving. He knew the pattern, he knew that it would never work unless he struck the head in exact-

The heroes knocked out the monster's legs just as Red X burst out of the shadows to hit the head the opposite way. The monster lurched over but didn't fall.

"35!" Red X called, not noticing he did so. All the boys' attention was on the monster, on stopping it before it ravaged any more of these people.

Speedy and Dick reacted instinctively. Robin leaped, hitting the monster's head the same moment as Speedy hit its feet the same way and X its middle the opposite. The monster fell, neatly folded in half, but it began to rise again.

The rest of the Titan's, who had arrived just as Red X joined the fight, watched the three boys take down the monster easily, moving as one oiled machine, never getting in each other's way and setting others up for blows. In no time at all, the monster fell, and all three boys came to a rest in front of it.

"That was quite amazing, friends!' Starfire exclaimed into the silence, "Do you do the writing of minds to each other?"

"No," Robin said slowly, turning to X, "We don't. So how did you know those attacks?"

Raven saw Red X glance around at all the spectators and other Titans. She rolled her eyes.

"I saw what needed to be done and-"

"B.S," Speedy retorted, "You called the attacks. Only three people know those attack numbers, and two of them are standing right here. Or are three?"

An explosion in the building made all the heroes except Raven glance that way. Only Raven saw him disappear into the broken building, ready still to track the boys to find a time without an audience. When they looked back at X, he was gone.

Robin and Speedy looked around frantically.

"Where'd he go?" Robin demanded curtly of Raven.

"I don't know," she responded calmly.

"Raven," Speedy was all seriousness now, "We need to talk to him. If he's who I think he is-"

"Then he will come to you on his own time," Raven cut him off, "All you have to do is wait."

"We've been waiting for 5 fucking years!" Speedy yelled.

"Then you can wait a few more hours," Bee inserted implacably, 'The girl's right. Come on, boys."

She stalked away, back to the Tower. Starfire took Robin by the arm and led him in the same direction. MAs y Menos herded Speedy, followed by the other Titans. Raven stood alone for a moment.

"You have to talk to them," she told the empty air where she could sense X's presence, "For all of your sakes."

Raven disappeared into a portal. Red X watched her go, then the retreating backs of Robin and Speedy, still half in shock at the revelation. He knew he had to talk, just as he knew they were his old friends.

"I know, Jewel," he muttered, "But they better have a damn good excuse."


	13. 12

Disclaimer- I don't own the TT

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 12

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

"It was him, dammit!" Speedy yelled as he stormed around the roof of the Tower, "And we just let him go!"

"It can't be him," Robin protested as he too stalked the area, "I can't have been fighting him for all these years and not known he was once one of my best friends."

Raven was floating cross-legged, watching the two boys rage.

"Did you really want to bare your past in front of all the Titans?" she asked Speedy, "Because I know he didn't. And you," she turned to Robin, "If he didn't want you to know, you had no chance. You weren't expecting that possibility. So don't blame yourself. Either of you."

Her words had no effect on either of the boys who were still pacing the floor, trying to get their unsettled thoughts in order.

"But if that's him," Speedy began slowly, halting in his rounds, "Then he really did run!"

Robin's eyes widened as the full implications of that set in and he stopped to.

"And they didn't take him again," Robin realized.

"And we spent all that time investigating that lead for nothing!" Speedy finished.

"Damn!" Robin spat, "We probably could have found him otherwise!"

"No," Speedy contradicted, "He's always been too good at hiding. Look at now. We have to wait for him. Again."

Robin nodded curtly and began his pacing again. Speedy followed him, fussing idly with his mask.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Red X's voice made Speedy and Robin spin, both dropping into fighting crouches, Speedy drawing an arrow and setting it on his bow, Robin's bo staff out and ready. Raven simply turned in the air to face him, face still set in an unconcerned expression.

"Not at all," Speedy responded, "We were just waiting for you."

Red X dropped from the scaffolding to the ground with his usual cat-like grace and stood, leaning languidly against a wall. Slowly, reluctantly, the heroes straightened from their aggressive poses.

"Jewel, why don't you leave," Red X suggested, "The three of us have some business."

Raven didn't seem to take offense at his commanding tone for once. She dropped to the ground.

"Okay, but I would prefer to have all three of you in one piece afterwards," she announced. She swept away, pausing once in front of Red X.

"Don't be too quick to judge," she recommended softly, huge amethyst eyes burning up at him. He put one arm around her in a quick hug, and then she was gone in a puddle of black magic.

"Alone at last," Red X observed.

"Don't tell me you lured us up here just to have your way with us," Speedy joked. Robin scowled at him, but Red X grinned.

"Sorry, taken," he told Speedy.

"Too bad," Speedy smirked. Robin stomped suddenly.

"Can we get down to business?" he demanded.

"Oh, so you're ready to interrogate me now?" Red X spat.

"I've been ready to for a long time," Robin retorted.

"Then why didn't you try to trace me?"

"Raven told us not to," Speedy admitted.

"She's way to wise for her own good sometimes," Red X concurred.

"Only sometimes," Speedy agreed, "But in other ways, she has no idea about anything."

"Like what?"

"Like how she's really hot and doesn't know it," Speedy responded.

"Are you going to try for her?" Red X spat, standing and taking a step closer to the archer.

"Maybe I am. What's it to you?" Speedy was also closing in. Suddenly, Red X stopped moving.

"So, did I pass?" he asked. Speedy looked innocently at him.

"Pass what?" he inquired.

"The test. Am I protective enough of Raven for you?"

Speedy shrugged.

"You'll do. And if you are Jason, it would be even better. Then she really would be like my little sister."

"Little?" Robin scoffed, "She's your older sister. She takes care of you."

"Does not."

"Does too."

"Does not. Bee does."

They glared at each other.

"As intriguing as this conversation is," Red X interjected, "We have a small issue of identities to take care of."

"Right." Speedy sighed, "And there's no easy way to resolve this."

"What do you mean?" snapped Robin, then, turning abruptly to Red X, "are you Jason?"

Red X and Speedy exchanged looks that despite being hidden by masks were precisely the same.

"Are you Dick?" Red X responded curtly.

"I can't answer that unless you tell me if you're Jason," Robin retorted.

"And the same goes for me," Red X explained patiently. Speedy chuckled.

"It's Jason, all right," he grinned. He remembered the way Jason had had of twisting words to suit him.

"I'm not Jason," Red X announced suddenly. He couldn't deal with this. He had been an idiot to jump into that fight, and an idiot to come here, "I'm leaving."

4 hands grabbed his arms before he could teleport.

"You disappeared on us once, Jason," Roy said, "You aren't doing it again without a good reason."

"I'm not Jason," Red X repeated, "I've never known you."

Speedy sighed.

"You're right, you haven't known Speedy." He reached up and removed his mask, revealing the well known face of Roy Harper, 'But you've known Roy for a long time."

"Roy, don't do that!" Red X protested, for once speaking before he thought, "Now Dick will be shamed into taking his mask off, and that means he loses, and then he'll be in a bad mood all year. Well, a worse mood anyway."

Robin scowled.

"You really are Jason, aren't you?" he asked.

"No, I'm not!" Red X exclaimed, "I'm not the boy who you ditched because he got a scar!"

"Is that what you think of us?" Robin demanded, 'I thought you knew us better, Jason!"

"So did I!" Red X exclaimed, "I though you had some loyalty! I thought a scar wouldn't matter."

'You don't know the whole story, Jay," Roy admonished quietly, "You never heard our side."

"How could I? Neither of you could look at me after I came back! Because of the damn scar!"

"It wasn't that!" Robin broke in loudly.

'Then what was it!?! Nothing else changed."

"It was our fault!" Robin screamed, "You shouldn't have been kidnapped, you shouldn't have gotten that scar, and you shouldn't have come in half dead a week after you escaped on your own! You were supposed to be a civilian."

"Your parents had gotten threats," Roy explained, "We were supposed to be your guard. We let you down."

Red X felt his jaw drop and quickly closed his mouth as silence pervaded the roof once more.

"They knew?" he asked softly, sounding for once like the teen he was, "My parents knew I was going to get kidnapped and they didn't even tell me! You didn't tell me?"

"You weren't to know," Roy explained tiredly, "We were supposed to tail you and apprehend the criminals once they tried for you. It was our first solo, well duo, assignment."

"Then why didn't you?" Red X accused.

"We failed," Dick admitted, "We lost you. We should have known how good you were about sneaking out of places and kept a closer watch, but we were having fun and we lost you. So you got captured and we had no leads."

Roy's bright green eyes were pleading with Jason to understand.

"We searched. Man, we searched everywhere, for every waking moment and a lot of times we should have been asleep. Batman actually forced Dick to go to sleep, and coming from Batman, that's rich. We tried, we really did."

"But we failed," Dick muttered, head hanging, "We failed, and we lost you. That's why we might have seemed cold. The scar reminded us of our failure."

"And then you ran," Roy continued, "and we thought the kidnappers had forced you to write that note and had taken you again. We spent months searching the companies for evidence on the kidnappers. After a year, though, we gave you up, and Dick came out here to form the Teen Titans."

"But evidently," Dick spat, "All that work was wasted, as Jason seems to have meandered out here and set up a life of crime."

"I learned how to survive without the resources my parents gave me," Red X explained with a shrug, "I learned what it's like on the other side of those big walls that keep out people from your precious manors. I gave the little people a chance to fight back, to actually buy food. Is that such a bad thing?"

"But you stole to do it," Dick exclaimed, "You broke the law!"

"I stole from corrupt businesses," Red Xretorted, "And I broke laws. You have too. So did Batman. Sometimes laws forbid people from doing what is necessary."

"So now you're a modern day Robin Hood?" Roy drawled, 'I think my mentor might have something to say about that if you take up the costume too."

Red X shuddered. With all these people and comparing him to Robin Hood?

"No thanks," he said, "I'll stick with X's, thank you very much, and black and red."

"Which reminds me," Dick scowled, "I want the suit back."

"Fat chance."

"I made it, its mine."

"And I took it from you because you weren't using it. It's mine."

Roy grinned.

"For the sake of argument, I think I should have it," he threw in.

"What?"

"Not you too!"

The three boys looked at around, than broke into laughter.

"But honestly," Robin said as they all sobered, "You don't need the suit anymore. You can go back to your parents."

Red X gaped at him.

"Do you honestly think I want to go back? They don't care about me-" Dick opened his mouth to protest, but Red X talked over him, "no, don't deny it, you know they don't. And I'm good at stealing, at espionage. I'm not giving it up." He crossed his arms stubbornly. Robin glared.

"Then I'm going to have to arrest you," he announced.

"I'd like to see you try," Red X retorted.

"Not now," Roy broke in to what he knew from experience was going to escalate into a full out brawl, "tomorrow you can work something out. Tonight, can we just be friends again?"

Robin and Red X relaxed from their aggressive stances. Robin sighed.

"Fine. Want to come in?"

Red X backed up a pace.

"A thief going into the den of superheroes? Not likely."

"We can have a truce for tonight," Roy suggested, "I'll go fill the others in."

He trotted downstairs. Dick and Red X faced each other, masks still firmly in pace.

"Why didn't you let me know who you were?" Dick finally broke the silence.

"I didn't know it was you," Red X explained, "It never occurred to me that Dick Grayson was Robin, just as it never occurred to you that Red X was Jason Hamilton."

"But we should have known," Dick complained.

"Probably. But we're both just too good at our masks," Red X laughed.

"I guess," Robin sighed, "Do you think we can work out a deal? I don't want to arrest you."

"We'll think about it tomorrow." A cry was heard form downstairs, a clamor of confusion, "You'd better go help explain. I don't think they'll trust Roy, I mean, who in their right minds would?"

Robin grinned before striding downstairs. Red X sighed and sat down on the edge of the roof.

"Did everything work out?" Raven's soft voice came. She floated up to him and sat down beside him.

"As well as could be expected," he informed her. She shivered slightly in the cold night air. He wrapped an arm around her as she leaned into him.

"We'll figure it out," she assured him, "Now; Robin just told everyone what's happened. He sent me up to tell you to come in."

She floated to the door. Red X stood staring up at the stars, not moving from where she had left him.

"Are you coming?" he still didn't move. "Red X-"

"No,' he cut her off, "My name is Jason."


	14. 13

Disclaimer- I don't own the TT. So here it is folks, the last chapter of Night Jewel. There may be an epilogue if people think so, but im not sure. I'd like to thank all my reviewers and readers, but now i'll shut up so you can read.

* * *

Night Jewel

Story By StormDancer

Chapter 13

* * *

It is not light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

* * *

Jason took a deep breath as the common room doors loomed in front of him. He had been in the tower before, of course, a number of times. It wasn't that hard to sneak in and out of, for him at least. Now he knew that was in part because he had helped work on codes like this, with Dick, in years gone past. But this was the first time he had ever walked in, invited, with people excepting him. 

"Are you ready?" Raven asked quietly from beside him. He looked down at her. She met his masked eyes squarely, "If you wait any longer someone will want to come and get you."

He took another deep breath. This was it. He had known this moment would have to come when he had first slipped the opal necklace to Raven. But it was so hard now that it was actually here! Another breath. He had managed to bluff his way through more dangerous situations then this. He could do it. He could walk nonchalantly into a den of superheroes with one of them on his arm and think nothing of it. He was Red X, master of the masks. But now he was also Jason, a child who just wanted his friends back.

"Yes," he stated with more bravery than he felt, "I'm ready."

The door slid open to reveal the heroes beyond.

No one moved. Starfire's hands had lit up unconsciously, and Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Bumblebee had tensed, ready to spring. In response, Red X felt his weight shifting; ready to fight the moment aggression would be offered. Speedy (mask back on), Robin, and Raven simply waited for the tension to be broken.

Finally Cyborg straightened, cannon shifting back into a hand.

"Well, now that everyone's here," he announced, "Why are we not partying?"

Beast Boy chuckled, and the tension was gone. The other's aggressive poses disappeared, and Jason could hear Raven let out the breath she had been holding. That made him feel better. If even she was nervous, then he could admit to being slightly apprehensive without shame.

"Go mingle," Raven muttered to him as people drifted around and the TV flickered on.

"And where are you planning to go?" he replied, grabbing her wrist as she tried to disappear.

"Where I always go at get-togethers like these," she yanked her wrist away, "away."

He grabbed her shoulder before she could teleport.

"Oh no you don't," he warned, "Because then they'll all have the chance to really embarrass you. And you wouldn't want that."

She glared at him, but her lips twitched in what might have been a smile had it been allowed to grow.

"Fine," she spat without any venom, "you win. Let's go let you meet the heroes."

He rolled his eyes and planted his feet stubbornly.

"Or we could just stay here," he proposed. She smirked, and his eyes widened. "Raven," he began, 'What are you going to-"

A black portal opened beneath their feet and he fell into it before he had time to react. He rose up out of it in an undignified tumble in front of Cyborg, who was leaning against the wall and watching the proceedings.

He managed to leap to his feet before Cyborg noticed anything. Raven, who had made a graceful exit from her portal, let a giggle escape her. He glared at her.

"That was not very heroic" he informed her loftily.

"But it was amusing," she retorted, "Now talk."

He sighed, but meandered over to Cyborg, Raven a pace behind him.

"Hello," he said. The robot turned to face him.

"Hi," he replied carefully. Raven rolled her eyes at their posturing as they stood in silence for a moment.

"Thank you for breaking the tension back there," Jason finally offered, "For a minute it looked like there was going to be a fight."

"I'm not sure what we're going to do with you," Cyborg admitted, "But for right now, I can accept you as an old friend of Robin's and Raven's-" he amended what hew as going to say at Raven's glare, "and a very close friend of Raven's."

Jason grinned. A way to get her back for the portal trick…

"OR you could just say I'm her boyfriend," he suggested, "It's the truth."

"I never said that," Raven muttered, "It isn't too late to back out."

He slung an arm around her shoulders.

"You mean you don't want me?" he breathed into her ear. She shivered, but smiled shyly up at him.

"I never said that either," she murmured. Cyborg groaned and covered his eyes.

"Okay, I said I was fine with you to," he declared, "That does not mean I have to see this kind of stuff. No romance when I'm around, and we're cool."

Jason grinned, forgetting Cyborg couldn't see it or sense it like Raven could.

"Then why don't you leave?" he suggested. Cyborg punched him (gently) on the shoulder. It was weird, a friendly punch coming from the hand that had so often laid him out flat.

"Thank you," the robot retorted as he walked away, "I will."

Jason turned to his girlfriend.

"So?" he prompted, "How did I do?"

She sighed.

"Very well," she admitted, tossing back the hood of her cloak, "So who's next?"

He winced.

"You?" he recommended. She slapped him lightly on the forearm.

"Just for that, I think we'll go talk to Aqualad so he can hit on you," she retorted. A wave of nervousness rolled off of him to her empathetic senses.

"How about we go chat with R-Speedy instead?" he countered quickly. A honest-to-goodness grin spread over her face, making it even lovelier then before. Jason was so caught in her sparkling eyes that he barely heard her comment.

"I don't think so," she cackled, "I'm in the mood for some amusement."

o0O0o0O0o

Jason stared off across the bay from the top of the Tower, barely noting the stars twinkling like jewels against the night sky.

If anyone had told him 5 years ago that this was where he would be now, he would have laughed his head off. His best friends turning out to be Robin and Speedy? Impossible. Him becoming a master thief? Sweet, but never going to happen. Him ending up with the half-demon super-hero who's everything he could ever hope for? In his dreams, but nowhere else. Yet somehow, it had all happened.

He reached up and rubbed his mask. It was beginning to chafe a bit. He hadn't taken it off for a long, long time, what with the Titan party that was still in full swing downstairs. The night was cold enough that he could feel the old scar burning, informing him that it would probably snow tomorrow. Probably not the best time for the Hamilton Industries heist, then. He sighed. While he usually only stole from corrupt companies, he made an exception for that one. After all, it was his, at least in part, so he wasn't truly stealing. And, he admitted to himself and only himself, it was a petty revenge against his parents.

Parents that he supposed Dick and Roy would probably try to make him get back in touch with now. He would resist as hard as he could, of course, but somehow he felt like he should. It would at least be amusing to introduce Raven to them. And if he wanted his inheritance he would need to be reconciled.

"Jason?"

Raven appeared beside him, but didn't sit down, waiting tactfully to be acknowledged by him.

"Yeah, Jewel?"

He moved over slightly. She settled down beside him, resting her head on his chest. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

"I was just wondering why you left. No one was being nasty, were they?"

"No, that wasn't it," Jason told her, "although Aqualad hitting on me was weird."

"Don't worry about that. I kind of, well, I told him to," Raven admitted, "Just to see how you would react."

Jason gaped.

"What!" he exclaimed.

"Well, it was amusing, and I wanted to see what would happen," Raven explained.

"oh." he was speechless for a moment, then began again, "Well then, no one was being weird. Or weirder then could be expected."

"So why'd you leave?"

"Me and Dick had a talk," he stated simply. She sat up to look in worriedly in the eye. So this was the cause of the odd things she had been sensing.

"What was the conclusion?" she queried cautiously.

"Basically I don't steal in the Titan's jurisdiction, and the Tower is open to me except for hiding from the law or concealing stolen goods."

'But that's better than you expected," raven said, inspecting him worriedly.

"Yeah."

He just stared out over the water, not meeting her eyes.

"So what's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing."

She looked skeptically at him.

"Okay fine," he conceded, "Something is wrong."

"So what is it?"

He shrugged impatiently.

"I don't know!" he slammed a fist into the ground, "It's just, just, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"What do you mean?" she wrapped her cloak closer around her, but didn't move nay closer to him.

"Everything's been going so smoothly," he clarified, "I'm just waiting for Dick and Roy to tell me that they handed me over, or for you to slap some irons on me and say it was all a ruse."

"Do you not trust me?" Raven replied gently.

"No!" he exclaimed, "I do! It's just that… I don't know."

"That you aren't used to things going well for you," Raven finished for him, "that you never thought you were going to be the one to get a happy ending."

He stared at her.

"Yeah," he said slowly, "How'd you know that?"

She sighed, drawing her hood up. He tugged it back down.

"Because I feel the same way," she admitted, "I was supposed to be dead or the only person alive by now. I wasn't supposed to have to deal with all this drama."

"I'm glad you are,' he responded, "It wouldn't have any point without you."

She smiled.

"Same," she replied simply. They sat silently, both lost in their own thoughts. Raven could see, sense Jason moving beside her, but she didn't look. She was too absorbed in her own musings, on how to work out her future, to really comprehend what he was doing.

"Jewel?" he finally said. She turned to face him, only to be confronted by an unfamiliar male face. Her eyes flicked to the side. The mask was lying there; it's anonymous X staring up at her accusingly. She looked back at Red-Jason. Big grey eyes stared back at her, full of something that was mixed with a heavy leavening of fear.

Her hand reached out of its own accord to trace his features, as if touching a ghost to make sure it is real. Her hand moved over strong, well defined features and pale skin tentatively. He was tense beneath her hand, ready to bolt.

"Now is where you run away screaming," he announced hoarsely. She drew her hand back.

"Why?" she asked, barely audible.

"Because I'm hideous," he spat bitterly, "No girl would ever want to look at me."

"Jason…" she trailed off, staring at him, "You're gorgeous. You even said all the girls wanted you back when you went to school."

Her hand was back, running over his face and through his hair. As much as he tried not to, for she wouldn't be his as soon as she saw it, he leaned into her touch.

"You can't see it, can you?" He rose in a swift, fluid motion, and dragged her over to a light that threw his face into harsh relief, illuminating the scar the slashed from his right temple down to his left jaw, stretching the skin oddly across his face. Her light fingers moved to it, feather-light touches moving down it.

"What happened?"

"The kidnappers tortured me," he informed her with brutal callousness towards himself, "this was their way f showing they were serious."

"Oh." She was still just staring at him, big eyes full of an emotion he couldn't even begin to name.

"So are you going to flee now?" he spat. She sighed and reached up to put her arms around his neck, standing on tip-toe.

"Jason, you're so much more then I deserve," she murmured into his ear, 'I don't care about a scar."

He pulled away.

"But you're so beautiful," he argued, "You don't deserve to be with something as-"

"If you say hideous again, I will hurt you," Raven interrupted, "you are not hideous. You are one of the most handsome men I have ever seen with or without a scar. But that doesn't matter," she stalked closer to him, carefully as if she was approaching the wild animal he was trembling like; "The man I fell in love with doesn't have a face."

"But he's flawed-"

"Flaws only make a jewel more beautiful," she replied, drawing ever nearer, "they make it unique."

She was pressed close against him now. She could feel him quiver just as he was looking into her eyes for revulsion he couldn't find.

"Jewel-" he began, but then her lips were on his, and her hands were losing themselves in his dark hair. And he was drinking in the very feeling of her, his Jewel, and nothing more needed to be said.

* * *


End file.
